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PROJECTILE  TRAINS    FOR    THE    MOON. 


FroJitispiecf. 


[p.  95.] 


FROM    THE 


Earth  to  the  Moo:n, 

DIRECT   IN  NINETY-SEVEN   HOURS 
AND   TWENTY   MINUTES: 

And  a  Trip  Round  It. 


BY 

JULES    TERI^E, 

ACTHOB    OP     "A    JOUBNET     TO    THB     CENTBB     OP    THE     EABTH. 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  FRENCH 

BY 

LOUIS   MERCIER,  M.A.,  (OxoN,)   and   ELEANOR   E.  KING. 


■WITH  EIGHTY  FULL  PAGE  ILLXJSTRATIONS. 


NEW    YORK: 
SCRIBN"ER,  ARMSTEOXCt    &    COMPA^^Y. 

1874. 


BY   THE   SAME   AUTHOR. 


S  Jouii.)e3-  to  tl\e  deqtf e  of  tl\e  i^aftl\. 


With  53  Illustrations.     Onb  Vol.  12mo,  $9.00. 


• 


CONTEXTS. 


-♦- 


rRo:\r  the  earth  to  the  moon. 


CHAPTEE  L                                              PAGE 
The  Gim  Club         • 1 

CHAPTER  n. 
Peesidext  Baebicane's  CoirsruNicATioN  ..•••••      8 

CHAPTER  III. 
Effect  of  the  PEEsrDE>-T's  Coinrtrs'icATiox     ......    15 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Reply  feom  the  Obseevatoet  of  Cambeidgk 19 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  EoiLANCE  of  the  Moon 23 

i 

r  CHAPTER  TI. 

The  Peemissive  Limits  of  Igxoeaxce   ant)  Belief  in  the   Uxited 

States 28 

;  CHAPTER  YII. 

""-The  HrsiN  of  the  Cankox-Ball 33 

CHAPTER  YIII. 

HisrroEY  of  the  Cannon 40 

;  - 

)  CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Ql^stion  of  the  Powdees        ........    44 

CHAPTER  X. 
One  Eneitt  v.  T-wenty-fite  IIillioxs  of  Feiends 49 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XI.  PAGE 

Florida  and  Texas •••••54 

,  CHAPTER  XII. 

Uebi  ex  Orbi •••••59 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Stones  Hill •••.65 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Pickaxe  and  Trowel «...    70 

CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Fete  of  the  Casting 75 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  Columbiad ..80 

CHAPTER  X7II. 
A  Telegraphic  Despatch 85 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Passenger  or  THE  "Atlanta" 86 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
A  Monster  Meeting 92 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Attack  and  Riposte 99 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
How  A  Frenchman  manages  an  Affair   ...,,,.  103 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
The  New  Citizen  of  the  United  States  ......  117 

CHAPTER  XXIIL 
The  Projectile  Vehicle         ....••••.  122 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
The  Telescope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains        .•••••.  125 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Final  Details 128 


CONTENTS  V 

CHAPTER  XXYI.  page 

FiKE ! .,....».  133 


Foul  Weathee 


CHAPTER  XXYII. 
i^ 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
A  New  Star 1*1 


ROUND    THE    MOON. 

PRELIMINARY  CHAPTER. 
Recapitulatoet /         •         •         •  I'^S 

CHAPTER  I. 
Feom    Twenty    Minutes    past    Ten  to    Fortt-seven    Minutes    past 
Ten  p.m 151 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  First  Half-hour 157 

CHAPTER  III. 
Their  Place  or  Shelter 169 

CHAPTER  IV. 
A  Little  Algebra 178 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Cold  of  Space  ..'....- 185 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Question  and  Answer 194 

CHAPTER  VII. 
A  Moment  of  Intoxication 202 

CHAPTER  Vin. 
At  Seventy-eight  Thousand  Five  Hundred  and  Fourteen  Leagues    .  212 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Consequences  of  a  Deviation  ........  221 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X.  PAGE 

The  Observebs  of  the  Moon •        •  228 

CHAPTER  XL 
pXnct  and  Eealitt 232 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Orogkaphic  Details 236 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Lunar  Landscapes 243 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Night  or  Three  Hundred  and  Fifty-four  Hours  and  a  half        .  251 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Hyperbola  or  Parabola 260 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The  Southern  Hemisphere 270 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Tycho 273 

CHAPTER  XVlil. 
Grave  Questions •        .  281 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
A  Struggle  against  the  Impossible ■        .  289 

CHAPTER  XX. 
The  Soundings  of  the  "  Susquehanna  "         ......  299 

CHAPTER  XXL 
J.  T.  Maston  recalled 805 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Recovered  from  the  Sea .  312 

CHAPTER  XXIIL 
The  End 820 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

The  Artillery-men  of  the  Gun  Clnb 4 

President  Barbicane 10 

Meeting  of  the  Gun  Club 12 

The  Torchlight  Procession 16 

Cambridge  Observatory 19 

The  Moon's  Disc 25 

Baibicane  holds  forth 33 

The  Rodman  Columbiad  .         .         . 34 

Cannon  at  Malta  in  the  time  of  the  Knights 36 

Ideal  Sketch  of  J.  T.  Maston's  Gun 42 

The  invention  of  Gunpowder  by  the  Monk  Schwartz       ....     44 

Captain  Nicholl 49 

Nicholl  published  a  number  of  Letters  in  the  Newspapers  .  .  .51 
It  became  necessary  to  keep  an  eye  upon  the  Deputies  .  .  .  .57 
The  Subscription  was  opened  .........     60 

The  Manufactory  at  Ooldspring,  near  New  York 63 

Tampa  Town,  previous  to  the  undertaking .66 

They  were  compelled  to  ford  several  Rivers 68 

The  Work  progressed  regularly 73 

The  Casting 77 

Tampa  Town,  after  the  undertaking        .         .         .  •       .         .         .         .82 

The  Banquet  in  the  Columbiad 84 

President  Barbicane  at  his  Window  .......     87 

Michel  Ardan  ........•.••     88 

The  Meeting 92 

Projectile  Trains  for  the  Moon 95 

Attack  and  Riposte 101 

Tile  Platform  was  suddenly  carried  away 106 

Mas  ton  burst  into  the  Room     .         .         .         .         .         •         •         .         .108 

In  the  midst  of  this  Snare  was  a  poor  little  Bird 112 

"  Go  with  me,  and  see  whether  we  are  stopped  on  our  journey  "     .         .  115 

The  Cat  taken  out  of  the  Shell 120 

The  Arrival  of  the  Projectile  at  Stones  Hill 122 

J.  T.  Maston  had  grown  fat 124 

The  Telescope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 127 


•  •• 


Vm  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

The  Interior  of  the  Projectile 130 

An  innumerable  Multitude  covered  tlie  Prairie  round  Stones  Hill  .         .  133 

Fire  ! ! 136 

Effect  of  the  Explosion .        .        •         .  138 

The  Director  at  his  Posb 139 

The  Gas  caught  firo 153 

Diana  and  Satellite 154 

The  couratreous  Frenchman 157 

They  raised  Barbicans 159 

It  was  an  enormous  Disc 163 

They  gave  her  a  pie 170 

The  Sun  chose  to  be  of  the  party 172 

Ardan  plunged  his  hand  rapidly  into  certain  mysterious  boxes  .  .  176 
"  Do  I  understand  it  ?  "  cried  Ardan;  "  my  head  is  splitting  with  it  "  .  183 
Satellite  was  thrown  out  .........  193 

It  was  the  Body  of  Satellite 201 

"  I  could  hare  ventured  out  on  the  top  of  the  Projectile  "...  206 
They  struck  up  a  frantic  dance  ........  210 

"  The  Oxygen  !  "  he  exclaimed 212 

"  Ah  !  if  kaphael  had  seen  us  thus  " 217 

The  Telescope  at  Parsonstown 228 

How  many  people  have  heard  speak  of  the  Moon !  ....  232 

"  This  plain  would  then  be  nothing  but  an  immense  Cemetery  "     .         .  241 

'•  What  Giant  Oxen  !  " 245 

He  could  distinguish  nothing  but  Desert  Beds 247 

"  It  is  the  fault  of  the  Moon  " 252 

Nothing  could  equal  the  splendour  of  this  starry  world  ....  256 
"  The  vapour  of  our  breath  will  fall  in  snow  around  us  "  .  .  .258 
A  Discussion  arose   ...........  261 

A  Prey  to  frightful  Terror 267 

"What  a  sight ! 268 

"  The  Sun !  " 271 

"  Light  and  Heat ;  all  Life  is  contained  in  them  "  ....  273 

He  distinguished  all  this 275 

Can  you  picture  to  yourselves  ?         . 277 

A  violent  Contraction  of  the  Lunar  Crust 282 

Around  the  Projectile  were  the  Objects  which  had  been  thro^vn  out  .  291 
"  These  practical  people  have  sometimes  most  inopportune  ideas  "  .  295 

Ardan  applied  the  lighted  Match 296 

,' I  fancy  I  see  them  " 301 

A  few  feet  nearer     ...........  304 

The  unfortunate  man  had  disappeared     .......  311 

The  Descent  began 315 

"  White  all,  Barbicane  " 819 

The  Apotheosis  was  worthy  of  the  three  Heroes 322 


FEOM  THE  EAETH  TO  THE  MOON. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    GUN    CLUB. 

During  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  a  new  and  influential  club 
was  established  in  the  city  of  Baltimore  in  the  State  of  Mary- 
land. It  is  well  known  with  what  energy  the  taste  for  military 
matters  became  developed  amongst  that  nation  of  ship-owners, 
shopkeepers,  and  mechanics.  Simple  ti'adesmen  jumped  their 
counters  to  become  extemporized  captains,  colonels,  and  gen- 
erals, without  having  ever  passed  the  School  of  Instruction  at 
"West  Point:  nevertheless,  they  quickly  rivalled  their  compeers  of 
the  old  continent,  and,  like  them,  carried  off  victories  by  dint  of 
lavish  expenditure  in  ammunition,  money,  and  men. 

But  the  point  in  which  the  Americans  singularly  distanced  the 
Europeans  was  in  the  science  of  gunnery.  Not,  indeed,  that  their 
weapons  retained  a  higher  degree  of  perfection  than  theirs,  but 
that  they  exhibited  unheard-of  dimensions,  and  consequently 
attained  hitherto  unheard-of  ranges.  In  point  of  grazing,  plung- 
ing, oblique,  or  enfilading,  or  point-blank  firing,  the  English, 
French,  and  Prussians  have  nothing  to  learn;  but  their  cannon, 
howitzers,  and  mortars  are  mere  pocket-pistols  compared  with  the 
formidable  engines  of  the  American  artillery. 

B 


FROM   THE  EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 


This  fact  need  surprise  no  one.  The  Yankees,  the  first  me- 
chanicians in  the  world,  are  engineers — just  as  the  Italians  are 
musicians  and  the  Germans  metaphysicians — by  right  of  birth. 
Nothing  is  more  natural,  therefore,  than  to  perceive  them 
applying  their  audacious  ingenuity  to  the  science  of  gunnery. 
Witness  the  marvels  of  Parrott,  Dahlgren,  and  Rodman.  The 
Ai-mstrong,  Palliser,  and  Beaulieu  guns  were  compelled  to  bow 
before  their  transatlantic  rivals. 

Now  when  an  American  has  an  idea,  he  directly  seeks  a  second 
American  to  share  it.  If  there  be  three,  they  elect  a  president 
and  two  secretaries.  Given /owr,  they  name  a  keeper  of  records, 
and  the  office  is  ready  for  work;  Jive,  they  convene  a  general 
meeting,  and  the  club  is  fully  constituted.  So  things  were 
managed  in  Baltimore.  The  inventor  of  a  new  cannon  associated 
himself  with  the  caster  and  the  borer.  Thus  was  formed  the 
nucleus  of  the  "  Gun  Club."  In  a  single  month  after  its  forma- 
tion it  numbered  1833  effective  members  and  30,565  corre- 
sponding members. 

One  condition  was  imposed  as  a  sine  qua  non  upon  every  can- 
didate for  admission  into  the  association,  and  that  was  the 
condition  of  having  designed,  or  (more  or  less)  perfected  a 
cannon;  or,  in  default  of  a  cannon,  at  least  a  fire-arm  of  some 
description.  It  may,  however,  be  mentioned  that  mere  inventions 
of  revolvers,  five-shooting  carbines,  and  similar  small  arms,  met 
with  but  little  consideration.  Artillerists  always  commanded  the 
chief  place  of  favour. 

The  estimation  in  which  these  gentlemen  were  held,  according 
to  one  of  the  most  scientific  exponents  of  the  Gun  Club,  was 
"  proportional  to  the  masses  of  their  guns,  and  in  the  direct  ratio 
of  the  square  of  the  distances  attained  by  their  projectiles" 

The  Gun  Club  once  founded,  it  is  easy  to  conceive  tb'^  -nit 
of  the  inventive  genius  of  the  Americans.  Their  n^  -  ry 
weapons  attained  colossal  proportions,  and  their  projectiles,  ex- 
ceeding the  prescribed  limits,  unfortunately  occasionally  cut  in 


THE   GUN  CLUB. 


two  some  unoffending  pedestrians.  These  inventions,  in  fact, 
left  far  iu  the  rear  the  timid  instruments  of  European  artil- 
lery. 

It  is  but  fair  to  add  that  these  Yankees,  brave  as  they  have 
ever  proved  themselves  to  be,  did  not  confine  themselves  to 
theories  and  formula?,  but  that  they  paid  heavily,  in  propria 
persona,  for  their  inventions.  Amongst  them  were  to  be  counted 
officers  of  all  ranks,  from  lieutenants  to  generals;  military  men  of 
every  age,  from  those  who  were  just  making  their  debut  in  the 
profession  of  ai'ms  up  to  those  who  had  grown  old  on  the  gun- 
carriage.  Many  had  found  their  rest  on  the  field  of  battle  whose 
names  figured  in  the  "  Book  of  Honour  "  of  the  Gun  Club  ;  and  ot 
those  who  made  good  their  return  the  gi-eater  proportion  bore  the 
marks  of  their  indisputable  valour.  Crutches,  wooden  legs,  arti 
ficial  arms,  steel  hooks,  caoutchouc  jaws,  silver  craniums,  pla- 
tinum noses,  were  all  to  be  found  in  the  collection;  and  it  was 
calculated  by  the  great  statistician  Pitcairn  that  throughout  the 
Gun  Club  there  was  not  quite  one  arm  between  four  persons,  and 
exactly  two  legs  between  six. 

Nevertheless,  these  valiant  artillerists  took  no  particular 
account  of  these  little  facts,  and  felt  justly  proud  Avhen  the 
despatches  of  a  battle  returned  the  number  of  victims  at  tenfold 
the  quantity  of  the  pi'ojectiles  expended. 

One  day,  however — sad  and  melancholy  day !  —  peace  was 
signed  between  the  survivors  of  the  war;  the  thunder  of  the  guns 
gradually  ceased,  the  mortars  were  silent,  the  howitzers  were 
muzzled  for  an  indefinite  period,  the  cannon,  with  muzzles 
depressed,  were  returned  into  the  arsenal,  the  shot  were  replied, 
all  bloody  reminisceaces  were  effaced;  the  cotton-plants  grew 
luxuriantly  in  the  well-manured  fields,  all  mourning  garments 
were  laid  aside,  together  with  grief;  and  the  Gun  Club  was 
relegated  to  profound  inactivity. 

Some  few  of  the  more  advanced  and  inveterate  theorists  set 
themselves  again  to  work  upon  calculations  regarding  the  laws  of 

B  2 


FROM  THE  EARTH  TO   THE  MOON. 


projectiles.  They  reverted  invariably  to  gigantic  shells  and 
howitzers  of  unparalleled  calibre.  Still,  in  default  of  practical 
experience,  what  was  the  value  of  mere  theories  ?  Consequently, 
the  club-rooms  became  deserted,  the  servants  dozed  in  the  ante- 
chambers, the  newspapers  grew  mouldy  on  the  tables,  sounds  of 
snoring  came  from  dark  corners,  and  the  members  of  the  Gun 
Club,  erstwhile  so  noisy  in  their  seances,  were  reduced  to  silence 
by  this  disastrous  peace  and  gave  themselves  up  wholly  to  dreams 
of  a  Platonic  kind  of  artillery. 

"  This  is  horrible ! "  said  Tom  Hunter  one  evening,  while 
rapidly  carbonizing  his  wooden  legs  in  the  fire-place  of  the 
smoking-room;  "  nothing  to  do !  nothing  to  look  forward  to!  what 
a  loathsome  existence !  When  again  shall  the  guns  arouse  us  in 
the  morning  with  their  delightful  reports?" 

"Those  days  are  gone  by,"  said  jolly  Bilsby,  trying  to -extend 
his  missing  arms.  "  It  was  delightful  once  upon  a  time !  Oii& 
invented  a  gun,  and  hardly  was  it  cast,  when  one  hastened  to  try 
it  in  the  face  of  the  enemy !  Then  one  returned  to  camp  with  a 
word  of  encouragement  from  Sherman  or  a  friendly  shake  of  the 
hand  from  M'Clellan.     But  now  the  generals  are  gone  back  to 

« 

their  counters;  and  in  place  of  projectiles,  they  despatch  bales 
of  cotton.  By  Jove,  the  future  of  gunnery  in  America  is 
lost!" 

"  Ay  !  and  no  war  in  prospect !  "  continued  the  famous  James 
T.  Maston,  scratching  with  his  steel  hook  his  gutta-percha 
cranium.  "  Not  a  cloud  in  the  horizon !  and  that  too  at  such  a 
critical  period  in  the  progress  of  the  science  of  artillery !  Yes, 
gentlemen!  I  who  address  you  have  myself  this  very  morning 
perfected  a  model  (plan,  section,  elevation,  &c.)  of  a  mortar 
destined  to  change  all  the  conditions  of  warfare  !  " 

"  No !  is  it  possible  ? "  replied  Tom  Hunter,  his  thoughts 
reverting  involuntarily  to  a  former  invention  of  the  Hon,  J.  T. 
Maston,  by  which,  at  its  first  trial,  he  had  succeeded  in  killing 
three  hundred  and  thirty-seven  people. 


<L'J 


THE  ARTILLERl'  MEN  OF  THE  GUN  CLUB. 


[p.  4.] 


THE  GUN  CLUB. 


"  Fact ! "  1-eplied  he.  "  Still,  what  is  the  use  of  so  many 
studies  worked  out,  so  many  difficulties  vanquished  ?  It's  mere 
waste  of  time !  The  New  World  seems  to  have  made  up  its  mind 
to  live  in  peace;  and  our  bellicose  Tribune  predicts  some  approach- 
ing catastrophes  arising  out  of  this  scandalous  increase  of  popu- 
lation." 

"  Nevertheless,"  replied  Colonel  Blomsberry,  "  they  are  always 
struggling  in  Europe  to  maintain  the  principle  of  nationali- 
ties." 

"  Well  ?  " 

"Well,  there  might  he  some  field  for  enterprise  down  there; 
and  if  they  would  accept  our  services — " 

*'  What  are  you  dreaming  of?"  screamed  Bilsby;  "  work  at  gun- 
nery for  the  benefit  of  foreigners  ?" 

"  That  would  be  better  than  doing  nothing  here,"  returned  the 
colonel. 

*'  Quite  so,"  said  J.  T.  Maston;  "  but  still  we  need  not  dream  of 
that  expedient." 

*'  And  why  not  ?  "  demanded  the  colonel. 

"  Because  their  ideas  of  progress  in  the  Old  World  are  contrary 
to  our  American  habits  of  thought.  Those  fellows  believe  that 
one  can't  become  a  general  without  having  served  first  as  au 
ensign;  Avhich  is  as  much  as  to  say  that  one  can't  point  a  gun 
without  having  first  cast  it  oneself! " 

"  Ridiculous  !  "  replied  Tom  Hunter,  whittling  with  his  bowie- 
knife  the  arms  of  his  easy-chair;  "but  if  that  be  the  case 
there,  all  that  is  left  for  us  is  to  plant  tobacco  and  distil  whale- 
oil." 

"  What ! "  roared  J.  T.  Maston,  "  shall  we  not  employ  these 
remaining  years  of  our  life  in  perfecting  fire-arms  ?  Shall  there 
never  be  a  fresh  opportunity  of  trying  the  ranges  of  projectiles  ? 
Shall  the  air  never  again  be  lighted  with  the  glare  of  our  guns  ? 
No  international  difficulty  ever  arise  to  enable  us  to  declare  war 
against  some  transatlantic  power  ?     Shall  not  the  French  sink  one 


FROM   THE   EARTH   TO    THE   MOON. 


of  our  steamers,  or  the  English,  in  defiance  of  the  rights  of 
nations,  hang  a  few  of  our  countrymen  ?  " 

*' No  such  luck,"  replied  Colonel  Blomsberry;  "  nothing  of  the 
kind  is  likely  to  happen;  and  even  if  it  did,  we  should  not  profit 
by  it.  American  susceptibility  is  fast  declining,  and  we  are  all 
going  to  the  dogs." 

"It  is  too  true,"  replied  J.  T.  Maston,  with  fresh  violence; 
"  there  are  a  thousand  grounds  for  fighting,  and  yet  we  don't 
fight.  We  save  up  our  arms  and  legs  for  the  benefit  of  nations 
who  don't  know  what  to  do  with  them!  But  stop — without  going 
out  of  one's  way  to  find  a  cause  for  war — did  not  North  America 
once  belong  to  the  English  ?  " 

"  Undoubtedly,"  replied  Tom  Hunter,  stamping  his  crutch  with 
fury. 

*'  Well  then,"  replied  J.  T.  Maston,  "  why  should  not  England 
in  her  turn  belong  to  the  Americans  ?  " 

**  It  would  be  but  just  and  fair,"  returned  Colonel  Blomsberry. 

"  Go  and  propose  it  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,"  cried 
J.  T.  Maston,  "  and  see  how  he  will  receive  you." 

"  Bah ! "  growled  Bilsby  between  the  four  teeth  which  the  war 
had  left  him;  "  that  will  never  do  !  " 

*'  By  Jove !  "  cried  J.  T.  Maston,  "  he  mustn't  count  on  my  vote 
at  the  next  election  I  " 

"  Nor  on  ours,"  replied  unanimously  all  the  bellicose  in- 
valids. 

**  Meanwhile,"  replied  J.  T.  M.,  "  allow  me  to  say  that,  if  I  can- 
not get  an  opportunity  to  try  my  new  mortars  on  a  real  field  of 
battle,  I  shall  say  good-bye  to  the  members  of  the  Gun  Club,  and 
go  and  bury  myself  in  the  prairies  of  Arkansas !  " 

"  In  that  case  we  will  accompany  you,"  cried  the  others. 

Matters  were  in  this  unfortunate  condition,  and  the  club  was 
threatened  with  approaching  dissolution,  when  an  unexpected 
circumstance  occurred  to  prevent  so  deplorable  a  catastrophe. 

On  the  morrow  after  this  conversation  every  memb^'    of  the 


THE   GUN  CLUB. 


association  received  a  sealed  circular  couched  in  the  following 

teiTBS : — 

"  Baltimore,  Oct.  3. 
"  The  President  of  the  Gun  Club  has  the  honour  to  inform  his  colleagues 
that,  at  the  meeting  of  the  5th  instant,  he  will  bring  before  them  a  com- 
munication of  an  extremely  interesting  nature.  He  requests,  therefore, 
that  they  will  make  it  convenient  to  attend  in  accordance  with  the  present 
inyitation. — Very  cordially, 

"  Impey  Baebicane,  P.G.C." 


8  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 


CHA.PTER  11. 

PRESIDENT   BARBICANE'S  COarMUNICATION. 

On  the  5th  of  October,  at  8  p.m.,  a  dense  crowd  pressed  towards 
the  saloons  of  the  Gun  Club  at  No.  21,  Union  Square.  All  the 
members  of-  the  association  resident  in  Baltimore  attended  the 
invitation  of  their  president.  As  regards  the  corresponding  mem- 
bers, notices  were  delivered  by  hundreds  throughout  the  streets  of 
the  city,  and,  large  as  was  the  great  hall,  it  was  quite  inadequate 
to  accommodate  the  crowd  of  savants.  They  overflowed  into  the 
adjoining  rooms,  down  the  narrow  passages,  into  the  outer  court- 
yards. There  they  ran  against  the  vulgar  herd  who  pressed  up 
to  the  doors,  each  struggling  to  reach  the  front  ranks,  all  eager  to 
learn  the  nature  of  the  important  communication  oi  President 
Barbicane  ;  all  pushing,  squeezing,  crushing  with  that  perfect 
freedom  of  action  which  is  peculiar  to  the  masses  when  educated 
in  ideas  of  "  self-government." 

On  that  evening  a  stranger  who  might  have  chanced  to  be  in 
Baltimore  could  not  have  gained  admission  for  love  or  money 
into  the  great  hall.  That  was  reserved  exclusively  for  resident 
or  corresponding  members  ;  no  one  else  could  possibly  have 
obtained  a  place  ;  and  the  city  magnates,  municipal  councillors, 
and  "  select  men "  were  compelled  to  mingle  with  the  mere 
townspeople  in  order  to  catch  stray  bits  of  news  from  the  interior. 

Nevertheless  the  vast  hall  presented  a  curious  spectacle.  Its 
immense  area  was  singularly  adapted  to  the  purpose.  Lofty 
pillars  formed  of  cannon,  superposed  upon  huge  mortars  as  a  base, 
supported  the  fine  ironwork  of  the  arches,  a  perfect  piece  of  cast- 


PRESIDENT  BARBICAN^S   COMMUNICATION.  9 

iron  lacework.  Trophies  of  blunderbuses,  matchlocks,  arquebuses, 
carbines,  all  kinds  of  fire-arms,  ancient  and  modern,  -were  pic- 
turesquely interlaced  against  the  walls.  The  gas  lit  up  in  full 
glare  myriads  of  revolvers  grouped  in  the  form  of  lustres,  whilst 
groups  of  pistols,  and  candelabra  formed  of  muskets  bouud 
together,  completed  this  magnificent  display  of  brilliance.  Models 
of  cannon,  bronze  castings,  sights  covered  with  dents,  plates 
battered  by  the  shots  of  the  Gun  Club,  assortments  of  rammers 
and  sponges,  chaplets  of  shells,  wreaths  of  projectiles,  garlands 
of  howitzers — in  short,  all  the  apparatus  of  the  artillerist,  en- 
chanted the  eye  by  this  wonderful  arrangement  and  induced  % 
kind  of  belief  that  their  real  purpose  was  ornamental  rather  than 

deadly. 

At  the  further  end  of  the  saloon  the  president,  assisted  by  foui 
secretaries,  occupied  a  large  platform.  His  chair,  supported  by  i. 
carved  gun-can-iage,  was  modelled  upon  the  ponderous  propor- 
tions of  a  32-inch  mortar.  It  was  pointed  at  an  angle  of  ninety 
degrees,  and  suspended  upon  trunnions,  so  that  the  president 
could  balance  himself  upon  it  as  upon  a  rocking-chair,  a  very 
agreeable  fact  in  the  very  hot  weather.  Upon  the  table  (a  huge 
iion  plate  supported  upon  six  carronnades)  stood  an  inkstand  of 
exquisite  elegance,  made  of  a  beautifully  chased  Spanish  piece, 
and  a  sonnette,  which,  when  required,  could  give  forth  a  report 
equal  to  that  of  a  revolver.  During  violent  debates  this  novel 
kind  of  bell  scarcely  sufficed  to  drown  the  clamour  of  these 
excitable  artillerists. 

In  front  of  the  table  benches  arranged  in  zigzag  form,  like  the 
circumvallations  of  a  retrenchment,  formed  a  succession  of  bastions 
and  curtains  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  members  of  the  club ; 
and  on  this  especial  evening  one  might  say,  "  All  the  world  was 
on  the  ramparts."  The  president  was  sufficiently  well  known, 
however,  for  all  to  be  assured  that  he  would  not  put  his  col- 
leagues to  discomfort  without  some  very  sti'ong  motive. 

Impey  Barbicane  was  a  man  of  forty  years  of  age,  calm,  cold, 


lO  FROM   THE  EARTH    TO    7HE  MOON. 


austere;  of  a  singularly  serious  and  self-contained  demeanour, 
punctual  as  a  chronometer,  of  imperturbable  temper  and  immov- 
able character ;  by  no  means  chivalrous,  yet  adventurous  withal, 
and  always  bringing  practical  ideas  to  bear  upon  the  very  rashest 
enterprises ;  an  essentially  New-Englander,  a  Northern  colonist, 
a  descendant  of  the  old  anti-Stuart  Koundheads,  and  the  impla- 
cable enemy  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  South,  those  ancient  Cava- 
liers of  the  mother-country.  In  a  word,  he  was  a  Yankee  to  the 
backbone. 

Barbicane  had  made  a  large  fortune  as  a  timber-merchant. 
Being  nominated  Director  of  Artillery  during  the  war,  he  proved 
himself  fertile  in  invention.  Bold  in  his  conceptions,  he  contri- 
buted powerfully  to  the  progress  of  that  arm  and  gave  an 
immense  impetus  to  experimental  researches. 

He  was  a  personage  of  the  middle  height,  having,  by  a  rare 
exception  in  the  Gun  Club,  all  his  limbs  complete.  His  strongly- 
marked  features  seemed  draAvn  by  square  and  rule  ;  and  if  it  be 
true  that,  in  order  to  judge  of  a  man's  character  one  must  look  at 
his  profile,  Barbicane,  so  examined,  exhibited  the  most  certain 
indications  of  energy,  audacity,  and  sang-froid. 

At  this  moment  he  was  sitting  in  his  armchair,  silent, 
absorbed,  lost  in  reflection,  sheltered  under  his  high- crowned 
hat — a  kind  of  black  silk  cylinder  which  always  seems  firmly 
screwed  upon  the  head  of  an  American. 

Just  when  the  deep-toned  clock  in  the  great  hall  struck  eight, 
Barbicane,  as  if  he  had  been  set  in  motion  by  a  spring,  raised 
himself  up.  A  profound  silence  ensued,  and  the  speaker,  in  a 
somewhat  emphatic  tone  of  voice,  commenced  as  follows : — 

"  My  brave  colleagues,  too  long  already  a  paralyzing  peace  has 
plunged  the  members  of  the  Gun  Club  in  deplorable  inactivity. 
After  a  period  of  years  full  of  incidents  Ave  have  been  compelled 
to  abandon  our  labours,  and  to  stop  short  on  the  road  of  progress. 
I  do  not  hesitate  to  state,  boldly,  that  any  war  which  should 
recall  us  to  arms  would  be  welcome ! "   ( Trem endous  applause  !  ) 


PRESIDENT  BARBICANE. 


Li).  10.1 


PRESIDENT  DARBICAN^S   COMMUNICATION.  II 

"  But  war,  gentlemen,  is  impossible  under  existing  circum- 
stances ;  and,  however  wc  may  desire  it,  many  years  may 
elapse  before  our  cannon  shall  again  thunder  in  the  field  of  battle. 
We  must  make  up  our  minds,  then,  to  seek  in  another  train 
of  ideas  some  field  for  the  activity  which  we  all  pine  for." 

The  meeting  felt  that  the  president  was  now  approaching  the 
critical  point,  and  redoubled  their  attention  accordingly. 

"  For  some  months  past,  my  brave  colleagues,"  continued  Barr- 
bicane,  "I  have  been  asking  myself  whether,  while  confining  our- 
selves to  our  own  particular  objects,  we  could  not  enter  upon 
some  grand  experiment  worthy  of  the  nineteenth  century;  and. 
whether  the  progress  of  artilleiy  science  would  not  enable  us  to 
carry  it  out  to  a  successful  issue.  I  have  been  considering, 
working,  calculating;  and  the  result  of  my  studies  is  the  con- 
viction that  we  are  safe  to  succeed  in  an  enterprise  which  to  any 
other  country  would  appear  wholly  impracticable.  This  project, 
the  result  of  long  elaboration,  is  the  object  of  my  present  commu- 
nication. It  is  worthy  of  yourselves,  worthy  of  the  antecedents 
of  the  Gun  Club;  and  it  cannot  fail  to  make  some  noise  in  the 
world." 

A  thrill  of  excitement  ran  through  the  meeting. 

Barbicane,  having  by  a  rapid  movement  firmly  fixed  his  hat 
upon  his  head,  calmly  continued  his  harangue: — 

"  There  is  no  one  among  you,  my  brave  colleagues,  who  has 
not  seen  the  Moon,  or,  at  least,  heard  speak  of  it.  Don't  be  sur- 
prised if  I  am  about  to  discourse  to  you  regarding  this  Queen  of 
the  Night.  It  is  perhaps  reserved  for  us  to  become  the  Colum- 
buses  of  this  unknown  world.  Only  enter  into  ray  plans,  and 
second  me  with  all  your  power,  and  I  will  lead  you  to  its  con- 
quest, and  its  name  shall  be  added  to  those  of  the  thirty-six 
States  which  compose  this  Great  Union." 

*•  Three  cheers  for  the  Moon  !  "  roared  the  Gun  Club,  with  one 
voice. 
.    "  The  moon,  gentlemen,  has  been  carefully  studied,"  continued 


12  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON: 


Barbicane ;  "  her  mass,  density,  and  weight ;  her  constitution, 
motions,  distance,  as  well  as  her  place  in  the  solar  system,  have  all 
been  exactly  determined.  Selenographic  charts  have  been  con- 
structed with  a  perfection  which  equals,  if  it  does  not  even  sur- 
pass, that  of  our  terrestrial  maps.  Photography  has  given  us 
proofs  of  the  incomparable  beauty  of  our  satellite;  in  short,  all  is 
known  regarding  the  moon  which  mathematical  science,  astro- 
nomy, geology,  and  optics  can  learn  about  her.  But  up  to  the 
present  moment  no  direct  communication  has  been  established 
with  her." 

A  violent  movement  of  interest  and  surprise  here  greeted  this 
remark  of  the  speaker. 

"Permit  me,"  he  contiuiied,  "to  recount  to  you  briefly  how 
certain  ardent  spirits,  starting  on  imaginary  journeys,  have  pene- 
trated the  secrets  of  our  satellite.  In  the  seventeenth  century  a 
certain  David  Fabricius  boasted  of  having  seen  with  his  own  eyes 
the  inhabitants  of  the  moon.  In  1649  a  Fi'enchman,  one  Jeau 
Baudoin,  published  a  '  Journey  performed  from  the  Earth  to  the 
Moon  by  Domingo  Gonzalez,'  a  Spanish  Adventurer.  At  the 
same  period  Cyrano  de  Bergerac  published  that  celebrated 
'Journeys  in  the  Moon'  which  met  with  such  success  in  France. 
Somewhat  later  another  Frenchman,  named  Fontenelle,  wrote 
.'  The  Plurality  of  Worlds,'  a  chef-cVceuvre  of  its  time.  About 
1835  a  small  treatise,  translated  from  the  New  York  American, 
related  how  Sir  John  Herschell,  having  been  despatched  to  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  for  the  purpose  of  making  there  som^e  astro- 
nomical calculations,  had,  by  means  of  a  telescope  brought  to 
perfection  by  means  of  internal  lighting,  reduced  the  apparent 
distance  of  the  moon  to  eighty  yards  !  He  then  distinctly  per- 
ceived caverns  frequented  by  hippopotami,  green  mountains 
bordered  by  golden  lace- work,  sheep  with  horns  of  ivory,  a  white 
species  of  deer,  and  inhabitants  Avith  membranous  wings,  like 
bats.  This  brochure,  the  work  of  an  American  named  Locke, 
had  a  great  sale.     But,  to  bring  this  rapid  sketch  to  a  close. 


MEETIXG  OF  THE  GUN  CLUB. 


[p.  12.J 


PRESIDEXT  BARBICANE's   COMM  JSICATION.  I3 

I  will  only  add  that  a  certain  Hans  Pfaal,  of  Rotterdam,  launching 
himself  in  a  balloon  filled  with  a  gas  extracted  from  nitrogen, 
thirtj-seven  times  lighter  than  hydrogen,  reached  the  moon  after 
a  passage  of  nineteen  hours.  This  journey,  like  all  the  previous 
ones,  was  purely  imaginary;  still,  it  was  the  work  of  a  popular 
American  author — I  mean,  Edgar  Pee  I  " 

"  Cheers  for  Edgar  Poe !  "  roared  the  assemblage,  electrified  by 
their  president's  words. 

"  I  have  now  enumerated,"  said  Barbicane,  "the  experiments 
which  I  call  purely  paper  ones,  and  wholly  insufficient  to  establish 
serious  relations  with  the  Queen  of  Xight.  Nevertheless,  I  am 
bound  to  add  that  some  practical  geniuses  have  attempted  to 
establish  actual  communication  A.ith  her.  Thus,  a  few  years  ago, 
a  German  geometrician  proposed  to  send  a  scientific  expedition  to 
the  steppes  of  Siberia.  There,  on  those  vast  plains,  they  were  to 
describe  enormous  geometric  figures,  drawn  in  characters  of 
reflecting  luminosity,  amongst  which  was  the  prop,  regarding  the 
'  square  of  the  hypothenuse,'  commonly  called  the  '  Ass^s  bridge ' 
by  the  French.  'Every  intelligent  being,'  said  the  geometrician, 
'must  understand  the  scientific  meaning  of  that  figure.  The 
Selenites,  do  they  exist,  will  respond  by  a  similar  figure;  and,  a 
communication  being  thus  once  established,  it  will  be  easy  to 
form  an  alphabet  which  shall  enable  us  to  converse  with  the  inha- 
bitants of  the  moon.'  So  spoke  the  German  geometrician ;  but 
his  project  was  never  put  into  practice,  and  up  to  the  present  day 
there  is  no  bond  in  existence  between  the  earth  and  her  satellite. 
It  is  reserved  for  the  practical  genius  of  Americans  to  establish  a 
communication  with  the  sidereal  world.  The  means  of  arriving 
thither  are  simple,  easy,  certain,  infiillible  —  and  that  is  the 
purpose  of  my  present  proposal." 

A  stoiTQ  of  acclamations  greeted  these  words.  There  was  not 
a  single  person  in  the  whole  audience  who  was  not  overcome, 
carried  away,  lifted  out  of  hunself  by  the  speaker's  words  ! 

Long  coutinued  applause  resounded  from  all  sides. 


14  FROM   THE   EARTH    TO    THE  MOON.- 

As  soon  as  the  excitement  had  partially  subsided,  Barbicane 
resumed  his  speech  in  a  somewhat  graver  voice. 

"  You  l^uow,"  said  he,  "  what  progress  artillery  science  has 
made  during  the  last  few  years,  and  what  a  degree  of  perfection 
fire-arms  of  every  kind  have  reached.  Moreover,  you  are  well 
aware  that,  in  general  terms,  the  resisting  power  of  cannon  and 
the  expansive  force  of  gunpowder  are  practically  unlimited. 
Well!  starting  from  this  principle,  I  ask  myself  whether,  sup- 
posing sufficient  apparatus  could  be  obtained  constructed  upon 
the  conditions  of  ascertained  resistance,  it  might  not  be  possible 
to  project  a  shot  up  to  the  moon  ?  " 

At  these  words  a  murmur  of  amazement  escaped  from  a 
thousand  panting  chests ;  then  succeeded  a  moment  of  perfect 
silence,  resembling  that  profound  stillness  which  precedes  the 
bursting  of  a  thunderstorm.  In  point  of  fact,  a  thunderstorm 
did  peal  forth,  but  it  was  the  thunder  of  applause,  of  cries,  and 
of  uproar  which  made  the  very  hall  tremble.  The  president  at- 
tempted to  speak,  but  could  not.  It  was  fully  ten  minutes 
before  he  could  make  himself  heard. 

"  Suffer  me  to  finish,"  he  calmly  continued.  "  I  have  looked 
at  the  question  in  all  its  bearings,  I  have  resolutely  attacked 
it,  and  by  incontrovertible  calculations  I  find  that  a  projectile 
endowed  with  an  initial  velocity  of  12,000  yards  per  second,  and 
aimed  at  the  moon,  must  necessarily  reach  it.  I  have  the  honour, 
my  brave  colleagues,  to  propose  a  trial  of  this  little  experi- 
ment." 


EFFECT  OF   THE   PRESIDENT'S   COMMUNICATION.  1 5 


CHAPTER  III. 

EFFECT   OP   THE   PRESIDENT'S    COMMUNICATION. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  tlie  effect  produced  by  the  last 
words  of  the  hon.  president — the  cries,  the  shouts,  the  succession 
of  roars,  hurrahs,  and  all  the  varied  vociferations  which  the 
American  language  is  capable  of  supplying.  It  was  a  scene  of 
indescribable  confusion  and  uproar.  They  shouted,  they  clapped, 
they  stamped  on  the  floor  of  the  hall.  All  the  weapons  in  the 
museum  discharged  at  once  could  not  have  more  violently  set  in 
motion  the  waves  of  sound.  One  need  not  be  surprised  at 
this.  There  are  some  cannoneers  nearly  as  noisy  as  their  own 
guns. 

Barbicane  remained  calm  in  the  midst  of  this  enthusiastic 
clamour;  perhaps  he  was  desirous  of  addressing  a  few  more 
words  to  his  colleagues,  for  by  his  gestures  he  demanded  silence, 
and  his  powei-ful  alarum  was  worn  out  by  its  violent  reports.  No 
attention,  however,  was  paid  to  his  request.  He  was  presently 
torn  from  his  seat  and  passed  from  the  hands  of  his  faithful  col- 
leagues into  the  arms  of  a  no  less  excited  crowd. 

Nothing  can  astound  an  American.  It  has  often  been  asserted 
that  the  word  "  impossible  "  is  not  a  French  one.  People  have 
evidently  been  deceived  by  the  dictionary.  In  America,  all  is 
easy,  all  is  simple ;  and  as  for  mechanical  difficulties,  they  are 
overcome  before  they  arise.  Between  Bai'bicane's  proposition  and 
its  realization  no  true  Yankee  would  have  allowed  even  the 
semblance  of  a  difficulty  to  be  possible.  A  thing  with  them  is 
no  sooner  said  than  done. 


t6  FROM   THE  EARTH   TO    THE  MOON: 


The  triumphal  progress  of  the  president  continued  throughout 
the  evening.  It  -was  a  regular  torchlight  procession.  Irish,  Ger- 
mans, French,  Scotch,  all  the  heterogeneous  units  which  make  up 
the  population  of  Maryland  shouted  in  their  respective  vernacu- 
lars ;  and  the  "  vivas,"  "  hurrahs,"  and  "  braves "  were  inter- 
mingled in  inexpressible  enthusiasm. 

Just  at  this  crisis,  as  though  she  comprehended  all  this  agita- 
tion regarding  herself,  the  Moon  shone  forth  with  serene  splendour, 
eclipsing  by  her  intense  illumination  all  the  surrounding  lights. 
The  Yankees  all  turned  their  gaze  towards  her  resplendent  orb, 
kissed  their  hands,  called  her  by  all  kinds  of  endearing  names. 
Between  eight  o'clock  and  midnight  one  optician  in  Jones'-Fall 
Street  made  his  fortune  by  the  sale  of  opera-glasses. 

Midnight  anived,  and  the  enthusiasm  showed  no  signs  of  dimi- 
nution. It  spread  equally  among  all  classes  of  citizens — men 
of  science,  shopkeepers,  merchants,  porters,  chair-men,  as  well 
as  "  greenhorns,"  were  stirred  in  their  innermost  fibres.  A 
national  enterprise  was  at  stake.  The  whole  city,  high  and  low, 
the  quays  bordering  the  Patapsco,  the  ships  lying  in  the  basins, 
disgorged  a  crowd  drunk  with  joy,  gin,  and  whisky.  Every  one 
chattered,  argued,  discussed,  disputed,  applauded,  from  the  gentle- 
man lounging  upon  the  bar-room  settee  with  his  tumbler  of 
sherry-cobbler  before  him  down  to  the  waterman  who  got 
drunk  upon  his  "  knock-me-down  "  in  the  dingy  taverns  of  Fell 
Point. 

About  2  a.m.,  however,  the  excitement  began  to  subside. 
President  Barbicane  reached  his  house,  bruised,  crushed,  and 
squeezed  almost  to  a  mummy.  A  Hercules  could  not  have  re- 
sisted a  similar  outbreak  of  enthusiasm.  The  crowd  gradually 
deserted  the  squares  and  streets.  The  four  railways  from 
Philadelphia  .and  Washington,  Harrisburg  and  Wheeling,  which 
convei'ge  at  Baltimore,  whirled  away  the  heterogeneous  popula- 
tion to  the  four  corners  of  the  United  States,  and  the  city  sub- 
sided into  comparative  tranquillity. 


THE  TORCHLIGHT  PROCESSION. 


[p.  16.] 


ERFECT  OF   THE  PRESIDENTS  COMMUNICATION.  1 7 


On  the  following  day,  thanks  to  the  telegraphic  wires,  five 
hundred  newspapers  and  journals,  daily,  weekly,  monthly,  or  bi- 
monthly, all  took  up  the  question.  They  examined  it  under  all 
its  difierent  aspects,  physical,  meteorological,  economical,  or 
moral,  up  to  its  bearings  on  politics  or  civilization.  Tliey  debated 
whether  the  moon  was  a  finished  world,  or  whether  it  was  des- 
tined to  undergo  any  further  transformation.  Did  it  resemble 
the  earth  at  the  period  when  the  latter  was  destitute  as  yet  of  an 
atmosphere  ?  What  kind  of  spectacle  would  its  hidden  hemi- 
sphere present  to  our  terrestrial  spheroid  ?  Granting  that  the 
question  at  present  was  simply  that  of  sending  a  projectile  up  to 
the  moon,  every  one  must  see  that  that  involved  the  commence- 
ment of  a  series  of  experiments.  All  must  hope  that  some  day 
America  would  penetrate  the  deepest  secrets  of  that  mysterious 
orb;  and  some  even  seemed  to  fear  lest  its  conquest  should  not 
sensibly  derange  the  equilibrium  of  Europe. 

The  project  once  under  discussion,  not  a  single  paragraph  sug- 
gested a  doubt  of  its  realization.  All  the  papers,  pamphlets, 
reports — all  the  journals  published  by  the  scientific,  literary,  and 
religious  societies  enlarged  upon  its  advantages;  and  the  Society 
of  Natural  History  of  Boston,  the  Society  of  Science  and  Art  of 
Albany,  the  Geographical  and  Statistical  Society  of  New  York, 
the  Philosophical  Society  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  Smithsonian 
of  Washington  sent  innumerable  letters  of  congratulation  to  the 
Gun  Club,  together  with  ofiers  of  immediate  assistance  and 
money. 

From  that  day  forward  Impey  Barbicane  became  one  of  the 
greatest  citizens  of  the  United  States,  a  kind  of  Washington  of 
Science.  A  single  trait  of  feeling,  taken  from  many  others,  will 
serve  to  show  the  point  which  this  homage  of  a  whole  people  to  a 
single  individual  attained. 

Some  few  days  after  this  memorable  meeting  of  the  Gun  Club, 
the  manager  of  an  English  company  announced,  at  the  Baltimore 
theatre,  the  production  of  "  Much  ado  about  Nothing."     But  the 

c 


1 8  FROM   THE  EARTH   TO    THE  MOON. 

populace,  seeing  in  that  title  an  allusion  damaging  to  Barbicane's 
pi'oject,  broke  into  the  auditorium,  smashed  the  benches,  and  com- 
pelled the  unlucky  director  to  alter  his  playbill.  Being  a  sensible 
man,  he  bowed  to  the  public  will  and  replaced  the  offending 
comedy  by  "A3  you  like  it;"  and  for  many  weeks  he  realized 
fabulous  prciits. 


CAMBRIDGE  OBSERVATORr. 


[p.  19.1 


REPLY  FROM   THE   OBSERVATORY  OF  CAMBRIDGE.  19 


CHAPTER  IV. 

REPLY   FROM   THE    OBSERVATORY   OP   CAMBRIDGE. 

Barbicane,  however,  lost  not  one  moment  amidst  all  the 
enthusiasm  of  which  he  had  become  the  object.  His  first  care 
was  to  reassemble  his  colleagues  in  the  board-room  of  the  Gun 
Club.  There,  after  some  discussion,  it  was  agreed  to  consult  the 
astronomers  regarding  the  astronomical  part  of  the  enterprize. 
Their  reply  once  ascertained,  they  could  then  discuss  the 
mechanical  means,  and  nothing  should  be  wanting  to  ensure  the 
success  of  this  great  experiment. 

A  note  couched  in  precise  terms,  containing  special  interroga- 
tories, was  then  drawn  up  and  addressed  to  the  Observatory  of 
Cambridge  in  Massachusetts.  This  city,  where  the  first  Univer- 
sity of  the  United  States  was  founded,  is  justly  celebrated  for  its 
astronomical  staff.  There  are  to  be  found  assembled  all  the  most 
eminent  men  of  science.  Here  is  to  be  seen  at  work  that  power- 
ful telescope  which  enabled  Bond  to  resolve  the  nebula  of  Andro~ 
meda,  and  Clarke  to  discover  the  satellite  of  Sirius.  This  cele- 
brated institution  fully  justified  on  all  points  the  confidence 
reposed  in  it  by  the  Gun  Club. 

So,  after  two  days,  the  reply  so  hnpatiently  awaited  was  placed 
in  the  hands  of  President  Barbicane. 

It  was  couched  in  the  following  terms  : — 

"  The  Director  of  the  Cambridge  Oiservatory  to  the  President  of  the  Gun  Club 

at  Baltimore. 

"  Cambridge,  Oct.  7. 
"  On  the  receipt  of  your  favour  of  tte  6th  inst.,  addressed  to  the  Observa- 
toiy  of  Cambridge  in  the  name  of  the  Members  of  the  Baltimore  Gun  Club, 

c  2 


20  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 


our  staff  was  immediately  called  tegether,  and  it  was  judged  expedient  to 
reply  as  follows  : — 

"  The  questions  which  have  been  proposed  to  it  are  these, — 

"  '  1.  Is  it  possible  to  transmit  a  projectile  up  to  the  moon  ? 

'"2.  What  is  the  exact  distance  which  separates  the  earth  from  its  satel-" 
lite? 

'"3.  What  will  be  the  period  of  transit  of  the  projectile  when  endowed 
with  sufficient  initial  velocity  ?  and,  consequently,  at  what  moment  ought 
it  to  bo  discharged  in  order  that  it  may  touch  the  moon  at  a  particular 
point  ? 

" '  4.  At  wbat  precise  moment  will  the  moon  present  herself  in  the  most  j 
favourable  position  to  be  reached  by  the  projectile  ? 

"'5.  Wliat  point  in  the  heavens  ought  the  cannon  to  be  aimed  at  which! 
is  intended  to  discharge  the  projectile  ? 

"  '  6.  What  place  will  the  moon  occupy  in  the  heavens  at  the  moment  of  j 
the  projectile's  departure?' 

"  Eegarding  the/rst  question, '  Is  it  possible  to  transmit  a  projectile  np  toj 
the  moon  ? ' 

"^4nsit.-ei*.— Yesj  provided  it  possess  an  initial  velocity  of  1200  yards  -pei 
second ;  calculations  prove  that  to  be  sufficient.  In  proportion  as  we  recede 
from  the  earth  the  action  of  gravitation  diminishes  in  the  inverse  ratio  of  the 
square  of  Ihe  distance ;  that  is  to  say,  at  three  times  a  given  distance  the 
action  is  nine  times  less.  Consequently,  the  weight  of  a  shot  will  decrease, 
and  vriW  become  reduced  to  zero  at  the  instant  that  the  attraction  of  the 
moon  exactly  counterpoises  that  of  the  earth;  that  is  to  say,  at  ^l  of  its 
passage.  At  that  instant  the  projectile  will  have  no  weight  whatever ;  and, 
if  it  passes  that  point,  it  will  fall  into  the  moon  by  the  sole  effect  of  the 
lunar  attraction.  The  theoretical  possibility  of  the  experiment  is  therefore 
absolutely  demonstrated;  its  success  must  depend  upon  the  power  of  the 
engine  employed. 

"As  to  the  second  question,  'What  is  the  exact  distance  whicb  separates 
the  earth  from  its  satellite  ? ' 

"  Ansicer. — The  moon  does  not  describe  a  circle  round  the  earth,  but  rather 
an  ellipse,  of  which  our  earth  occupies  one  of  the  foci;  the  consequence, 
therefore,  is,  that  at  certain  times  it  approaches  nearer  to,  and  at  others  it 
recedes  farther  from,  the  earth  ;  in  astronomical  language,  it  is  at  one  time 
in  apogee,  at  another  in  perigee.  Now  the  difference  between  its  greatest 
and  its  least  distance  is  too  considerable  to  be  left  oat  of  consideration.  In 
point  of  fact,  in  its  apogee  the  moon  is  247,552  miles,  and  in  its  perigee, 
218,657  miles  only  distant ;  a  fact  which  makes  a  difference  of  28,895  miles, 
or  more  than  one  ninth  of  the  entire  distance.  The  perigee  distance,  there- 
fore, is  that  which  ought  to  serve  as  the  basis  of  all  calculations. 

"  To  the  third  question  : — 

"  Aiiswer. — If  the  shot  should  preserve  continuously  its  initial  velocity  of 
12,000  yards  per  second,  it  would  require  little  more  than  nine  hours  to 
reach  its  destination ;  but,  inasmuch  as  that  initial  velocity  will  be  con- 


I 


REPLY  FROM   THE  OBSERVATORY   OF  CAMBRIDGE.  21 

tinnally  decreasing,  it  results  ttat,  taking  everything  into  consideration,  it 
•will  occupy  300,000  seconds,  that  is  83hrs.  20m.  in  reaching  the  point  where 
the  attraction  of  the  earth  and  moon  will  be  in  equilihrio.  From  this  point 
it  will  fall  into  the  moon  in  50,000  seconds,  or  13hrs.  53m.  20sec.  It  will  be 
desirable,  therefore,  to  discharge  it  97hrs.  13m.  20sec.  before  the  arrival  of 
the  moon  at  the  point  aimed  at. 

"Regarding  question  four,  'At  what  precise  moment  will  the  moon 
present  herself  in  the  most  favourable  position,  &c.  ?' 

"  Answer. — After  what  has  been  said  above,  it  will  be  necessary,  first  of 
all,  to  choose  the  period  when  the  moon  will  be  in  perigee,  and  also  the 
moment  when  she  will  be  crossing  the  zenith,  which  latter  event  will  further 
diminish  the  entire  distance  by  a  length  equal  to  the  radius  of  the  earth, 
i.  e.  3919  miles ;  the  result  of  which  will  be  that  the  final  passage  remaining 
to  be  accomplished  will  be  214,976  miles.  But  although  the  moon  passes 
her  perigee  every  month,  she  does  not  reach  the  zenith  always  at  exactly 
the  same  moment.  She  does  not  appear  under  these  two  conditions  simul- 
taneously, except  at  long  intervals  of  time.  It  will  be  necessary,  therefore, 
to  wait  for  the  moment  when  her  passage  in  perigee  shall  coincide  with  that 
in  the  zenith.  Ivow,  by  a  fortunate  circumstance,  on  the  4th  December  in 
the  ensuing  year  the  moon  will  present  these  two  conditions.  At  midnight 
ehe  will  be  in  perigee,  that  is,  at  her  shortest  distance  from  the  earth,  and 
at  the  same  moment  sne  will  be  crossing  the  zenith. 

"  On  the  fifth  question,  '  At  what  point  in  the  heavens  ought  the  cannon 
to  be  aimed  ? ' 

"  Answer. — The  preceding  remarks  being  admitted,  the  cannon  ought  to 
be  pointed  to  the  zenith  of  the  place.  Its  fire,  therefore,  will  be  perpen- 
dicular to  the  plane  of  the  horizon;  and  the  projectile  will  soonest  pass 
beyond  the  range  of  the  terrestrial  attraction.  But,  in  order  that  the  moon 
should  reach  the  zenith  of  a  given  place,  it  is  necessary  that  the  place  should 
not  exceed  in  latitude  the  declination  of  the  luminaiy  ;  in  other  words,  it 
must  be  comprised  within  the  degrees  0°  and  28°  of  lat.  N.  or  S.  In  every 
other  spot  the  fiire  must  necessarily  be  oblique,  which  would  seriously 
militate  against  the  success  of  the  experiment. 

"As  to  the  sixth  question,  'What  place  will  the  moon  occupy  in  the 
heavens  at  the  moment  of  the  projectile's  departure  ? ' 

"  Ansicer. — At  the  moment  when  the  projectile  shall  be  discharged  into 
epace,  the  moon,  which  travels  daily  forward  13°  10'  35",  will  be  distant 
from  the  zenith  point  by  four  times  that  quantity,  i.  e.  by  52^  42'  20",  a  space 
which  corresponds  to  the  path  which  she  will  describe  during  the  entire 
journey  of  the  projectile.  But,  inasmuch  as  it  is  equally  necessary  to  take 
into  account  the  deviation  which  the  rotary  motion  of  the  earth  will  impart 
to  the  shot,  and  as  the  shot  cannot  reach  the  moon  until  after  a  deviation 
equal  to  16  radii  of  the  earth,  which,  calculated  upon  the  moon's  orbit,  are 
equal  to  about  eleven  degrees,  it  becomes  necessary  to  add  these  eleven 
degrees  to  those  which  express  the  retardation  of  the  moon  just  mentioned : 
that  is  to  say,  in  round  numbers,   about  64  degrees.     Consequently,  at  the 


22  FROM   THE  EARTH   TO    THE  MOON. 

moment  of  firing  the  visual  radius  applied  to  the  moon  will  describe,  with 
the  vertical  line  of  the  place,  an  angle  of  sixty-four  degrees. 

"  These  are  our  answers  to  the  questions  proposed  to  the  Observatory  of 
Cambridge  by  the  members  of  the  Gun  Club  : — 

"  To  sum  up, — 

"  1st.  The  cannon  ought  to  be  planted  in  a  country  situated  between  0° 
and  28°  of  N.  or  S.  lat. 

"2ndly.  It  ought  to  be  pointed  directly  towards  the  zenith  of  the  place. 

"  3rdly.  The  projectile  ought  to  be  propelled  with  an  initial  velocity  of 
12,000  yards  per  second. 

"4thly.  It  ought  to  be  discharged  at  lOhrs.  46m.  40sec.  of  the  1st 
December  of  the  ensuing  year. 

"  5thly.  It  will  meet  the  moon  four  days  after  its  discharge,  precisely  at 
midnight  on  the  4th  December,  at  the  moment  of  its  transit  across  the 
zenith. 

"  The  members  of  the  Gun  Club  ought,  therefore,  without  delay,  to  com- 
mence the  works  necessary  for  such  an  experiment,  and  to  be  prepared  to 
set  to  work  at  the  moment  determined  upon  ;  for,  if  they  should  sulier  this 
4th  December  to  go  by,  they  will  not  find  the  moon  again  under  the  same  condi- 
tions of  perigee  and  of  zenith  until  eighteen  years  and  eleven  days  afterwards. 

"  The  Staff  of  the  Cambridge  Observatory  place  themselves  entirely  at 
their  disposal  in  respect  of  all  questions  of  theoretical  astronomy;  and  here- 
with add  their  congratulations  to  those  of  all  the  rest  of  America. 
"  For  the  Astronomical  StaS", 

"  J.  M.  Belfast, 
** Director  of  the  Observatory  of  Camlridqe." 


I 


THE  ROMANCE  OF   THE  MOON.  23 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   ROMANCE   OF   THE   MOON. 

An  observer  endued  with  an  infinite  range  of  vision,  and  placed 
in  that  unknown  centre  around  which  the  entire  world  revolves, 
might  have  beheld  myriads  of  atoms  filling  all  space  duriYig  the 
chaotic  epoch  of  the  universe.  Little  by  little,  as  ages  went  on,  a 
change  took  place;  a  general  law  of  attraction  manifested  itself,  to 
which  the  hitherto  errant  atoms  became  obedient  :  these  atoms 
combined  together  chemically  according  to  their  affinities,  formed 
themselves  into  molecules,  and  composed  those  nebulous  masses 
with  which  the  depths  of  the  heavens  are  strewed. 

These  masses  became  immediately  endued  with  a  rotary  motion 
around  their  own  central  point.  This  centre,  formed  of  indefinite 
molecules,  began  to  revolve  round  its  own  axis  during  its  gradual 
condensation;  then,  following  the  immutable  laws  of  mechanics, 
in  proportion  as  its  bulk  diminished  by  condensation,  its  rotary 
motion  became  accelerated,  and  these  two  effects  continuing,  the 
result  was  the  formation  of  one  principal  star,  the  centre  of  the 
nebulous  mass. 

By  attentively  watching,  the  observer  would  then  have  per- 
ceived the  other  molecules  of  the  mass,  following  the  example  of 
this  central  star,  become  likewise  condensed  by  gradually  acce- 
lerated rotation,  and  gravitating  round  it  in  the  shape  of 
innumerable  stars.  Thus  was  formed  the  NehulcB,  of  which 
astronomers  have  reckoned  up  nearly  5000. 

Amongst  these  5000  nebulae  there  is  one  which  has  received 
the  name   of  the    Milky    Way,   and    which    contains  eighteen 


24  FROM   THE  EARTH   TO    THE  MOO^. 

milHone  of  stars,  each  of  wliich  has  become  the  centre  of  a  solar 
world. 

If  the  observer  had  then  specially  directed  his  attention  to  one 
of  the  more  humble  and  less  brilliant  of  these  stellar  bodies,  a  star 
of  the  fourth  class,  that  which  is  arrogantly  called  the  Sun,  all  the 
phenomena  to  which  the  foiTnation  of  the  Universe  is  to  be 
ascribed  would  have  been  successively  fulfilled  before  his  eyes. 
In  fact,  he  would  have  perceived  this  sun,  as  yet  in  the  gaseous 
state,  and  composed  of  moving  molecules,  revolving  round  its  axis 
in  order  to  accomplish  its  work  of  concentration.  This  motion, 
faithful  to  the  laws  of  mecltanics,  would  have  been  accelerated 
with  the  diminution  of  its  volume;  and  a  moment  would  have 
arrived  when  the  centrifugal  foi-ce  would  have  overpowered  the 
centripetal,  which  causes  the  molecules  all  to  tend  towards  the 
centre. 

Another  phenomenon  would  now  have  passed  before  the 
observer's  eye,  and  the  molecules  situated  on  the  plane  of  the 
equator  escaping,  like  a  stcne  from  a  sling  of  which  the  cord  had 
suddenly  snapped,  would  have  formed  around  the  sun  sundry  con- 
centric rings  resembling  that  of  Saturn.  In  their  turn,  again, 
these  rings  of  cosmical  matter,  excited  by  a  rotary  motion  round 
the  central  mass,  would  have  been  broken  up  and  decomposed 
into  secondary  nebulosities,  that  is  to  say,  into  planets.  Similarly 
he  would  have  observed  these  planets  throw  oflF  one  or  more  rings 
each,  which  became  the  origin  of  the  secondary  bodies  which  we 
call  satellites. 

Thus,  then,  advancing  from  atom  to  molecule,  from  molecule  to 
nebulous  mass,  from  that  to  a  principal  star,  from  star  to  sun, 
from  sun  to  planet,  and  hence  to  satellite,  we  have  the  whole 
series  of  transformations  undergone  by  the  heavenly  bodies  during 
the  first  days  of  the  world. 

Now,  of  those  attendant  bodies  which  the  sun  maintains  in 
their  elliptical  orbits  by  the  great  law  of  gravitation,  some  few  in 
their  turn  possess   satellites.      Uranus  has  eight,  Saturn  eight, 


THE  MOON'S  DISC. 


(p.  26 


THE   ROMANCE   OF    THE   MOON. 


25 


Jupiter  four,  Neptune  possibly  three,  and  the  Earth  one.  This 
last,  one  of  the  least  important  of  the  entire  solar  systera,  we 
2all  the  Moon  ;  and  it  is  she  whom  the  daring  genius  of  the 
A.mericans  professed  their  intention  of  conquering. 

The  moon,  by  her  comparative  proximity,  and  the  constantly 
varying  appearances  produced  by  her  several  phases,  has  always 
jccnpied  a  considerable  share  of  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants 
)f  the  earth. 

_From  the  time  of  Thales  of  Miletus,  in  the  fifth  century  B.C., 
iown  to  that  of  Copernicus  in  the  fifteenth  and  Tycho  Brahe  in 
;he  sixteenth  century  A. D.,  observations  have  been  from  time  to  time 
!arried  on  with  more  or  less  coi'rectness,  until  in  the  present  day 
he  altitudes  of  the  lunar  mountains  have  been  determined  Avith 
sxactitude.  Galileo  explained  the  phenomena  of  the  lunar  light 
)roduced  during  certain  of  her  phases  by  the  existence  of  moun- 
ains,  to  which  he  assigned  a  mean  altitude  of  27,000  feet.  After 
lim  Hevelius,  an  astronomer  of  Dantzic,  reduced  the  highest 
ilevations  to  15,000  feet  ;  but  the  calculations  of  Riccioli  brought 
hem  up  again  to  21,000  feet. 

At  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  centuiy  Herschell,  armed  with 
\  powerful  telescope,  considerably  reduced  the  preceding  measure- 
Qents.  He  assigned  a  height  of  11,400  feet  to  the  maximum 
ilevations,  and  reduced  the  mean  of  the  different  altitudes  to  little 
Qore  than  2400  feet.  But  Herschell's  calculations  wei'e  in  their 
urn  corrected  by  the  observations  of  Halley,  Nasmyth,  Bianchini, 
Jruithuysen,  and  others  ;  but  it  was  reserved  for  the  labours  of 
3oeer  and  Miedler  finally  to  solve  the  question.  They  succeeded 
n  measuring  1905  difi"erent  elevations,  of  which  six  exceed 
.5,000  feet,  and  twenty-two  exceed  14,400  feet.  The  highest 
lummit  of  all  towers  to  a  height  of  22,606  feet  above  the  surface 
>f  the  lunar  disc.  At  the  same  period  the  examination  of  the 
noon  was  completed.  She  appeared  completely  riddled  with 
'.raters,  and  her  essentially  volcanic  character  was  apparent  at 
jach  observation.     By  the  absence  of  refraction  in  the  rays  of  the 


26  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 

planets  occulted  by  her  we  conclude  that  she  is  absolutely  devoid 
of  an  atmosphere.  The  absence  of  air  entails  the  absence  of 
■water.  It  became,  therefore,  manifest  that  the  Seleuites,  to 
support  life  under  such  conditions,  must  possess  a  special  organi- 
zation of  their  own,  must  differ  remarkably  from  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth. 

At  length,  thanks  to  modern  art,  instruments  of  still  highe: 
perfection  searched  the  moon  without  intermission,  not  leaving  a 
single  point  of  her  surface  unexplored  ;  and  notwithstanding 
that  her  diameter  measures  2150  miles,  her  surface  equals  the 
1-1 5th  part  of  that  of  our  globe,  and  her  bulk  the  l-49th 
part  of  that  of  the  terrestrial  spheroid — not  one  of  her  secrets 
was  able  to  escape  the  eyes  of  the  astronomers  ;  and  these  skilful 
men  of  science  carried  to  even  greater  degree  their  prodigious 
observations. 

Thus  they  remarked  that,  daring  full  moon,  the  disc  appeared 
scored  in  certain  parts  with  icliit.e  lines  ;  and,  during  the  phases, 
with  hlach.  On  prosecuting  the  study  of  these  with  still  greater 
precision,  they  succeeded  in  obtaining  an  exact  account  of  the 
nature  of  these  lines.  They  were  long  and  narrow  furrows  sunk 
between  parallel  ridges,  bordering  generally  upon  the  edges  of  the 
craters.  Tlicir  length  varied  between  ten  and  100  miles,  and  their 
width  was  about  1  GOO  yards.  Astronomers  called  them  chasms, 
but  they  could  not  get  any  farther.  Whether  these  chasms  were 
the  dried-up  beds  of  ancient  rivers  or  not  they  were  unable 
thoroughly  to  ascertain. 

The  Americans,  amongst  others,  hoped  one  day  or  other  to 
determine  this  geological  question.  They  also  undertook  to 
examine  the  true  nature  of  that  system  of  parallel  ramparts  dis- 
covered on  the  moon's  surface  by  Gruithuysen,  a  learned  professor 
of  Munich,  who  considered  them  to  be  "  a  system  of  fortifications 
thrown  up  by  the  Selenitic  engineers."  These  two  points,  yet 
obscure,  as  avcU  as  others,  no  doubt,  could  not  be  definitively 
settled  except  by  direct  communication  with  the  moon. 


.3 


THE  ROMANCE   OF   THE   MOON.  27 


Regarding  the  degree  of  inteusity  of  its  light,  there  was  nothing 
more  to  learn  on  this  point.  It  was  known  that  it  is  300,000 
times  weaker  than  that  of  the  sun,  and  that  its  heat  has  no  ap- 
preciable eifcct  upon  the  thermometer.  As  to  the  phenomenon 
:  known  as  the  "  ashy  light,"  it  is  explained  naturally  by  the  effect 
of  the  transmission  of  the  solar  rays  from  the  earth  to  the  moon, 
which  give  the  appearance  of  completeness  to  the  lunar  disc,  while 
it  presents  itself  under  the  crescent  form  during  its  first  and  last 
phases. 

Such  was  the  state  of  knowledge  acquired  regarding  the  earth's 
satellite,  which  the  Gun  Club  undertook  to  perfect  in  all  its 
aspects,  cosmographic,  geological,  political,  and  moral 


28  FROM    THE   EARTH   TO    THE   MOON. 


I 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TUE   PERMISSIVE   LIMITS    OP   IGNORANCE   AND   BELIEF   IN   THE 

UNITED    STATES. 

The   immediate  result  of  Barbicane's  proposition  was  to  place 
upon  the  orders  of  the  day  all  the  astronomical  facts  relative  to 
the  Queen  of  Night.    Everybody  set  to  work  to  study  assiduously. 
One  would  have  thought  that  the  moon  had  just  appeared  for  the 
first  time,  and  that  no  one  had  ever  before  caught  a  glimpse  of    ' 
her  in  the  heavens.     The  papers  revived  all  the  old  anecdotes  in 
which  the  "  sun  of  the  wolves  "  played  a  part ;  they  recalled  the    ' 
influences  which  the  ignorance  of  past  ages  ascribed  to  her ;  in 
short,  all  America  was  seized  with  seleno-mauia,  or  had  become    , 
moon-mad. 

The  scientific  journals,  for  their  part,  dealt  more  especially  with 
the  questions  which  touched  upon  the  enterprise  of  the  Gun  Club. 
The  letter  of  the   Observatory  of  Cambridge  was  published  by    ; 
them,  and  commented  upon  with  unreserved  approval. 

Until  that  time  most  people  had  been  ignorant  of  the  mode  iu 
which  the  distance  which  separates  the  moon  from  the  eartli  i? 
calculated.     They  took  advantage  of  this  fact  to  explain  to  them 
that  this  distance  was  obtained  by  measuring  the  parallax  of  the   ' 
moon.     The  term  parallax  proving  "  caviare  to  the  general,"  they 
further  explaineil  that  it  meant  the  angle  formed  by  the  inclination  ; 
of  two  straight  lines  drawn  from  either  extremity  of  the  earth- 
radius  to  the  moon.    On  doubts  being  expressed  as  to  the  correct-   j 
ness  of  this   method,  they  immediately  proved  (hat  not  only  was 
the  mean  distance  234,347  miles,  but  that  astronomers  could  not 


THE  PERMISSIVE  LIMITS   OF  IGNORANCE,    ETC.  29 

possibly  be  in  error  in  their  estimate  by  more  than  70  miles  either 

way. 

To  those  who  were  not  familiar  with  the  motions  of  the  moon, 
,  they  demonstrated  that  she  possesses  two  distinct  motions,  the  first 
.  being  that  of  rotation  upon  her  axis,  the  second  that  of  revolution 
I  round  the  earth,  accomplishing  both  together  in  an  equal  pei'iod  of 

time,  that  is  to  say,  in  27^  days. 

The  motion  of  rotation  is  that  which  produces  day  and  night  on 
■  the  surfiice  of  the  moon;  save  that  there  is  only  one  day  and  one 
i  night  in  the  lunar  month,  each  lasting  354-^  hours.     But,  happily 

for  her,  the  face  turned  towards  the  terrestrial  globe  is  illuminated 
i  by  it  with  an  intensity  equal  to  the  light  of  fourteen  moons.  As 
I  to  the  other  face,  always  invisible  to  us,  it  has  of  necessity  354 

hours  of  absolute  night,  tempered  only  by  that  "pale  glimmer 

which  falls  upon  it  from  the  stars." 

Some  well-intentioned  but  rather  obstinate  persons,  could  not  at 
I  first  comprehend  how,  if  the  moon  displays  invariably  the  same 

face  to  the  earth  during  her  revolution,  she  can  describe  one  turn 
{  round  herself.  To  such  they  answered,  "  Go  into  your  dining- 
j  room,  and  walk  round  the  table  in  such  a  way  as  always  to  keep 
j  your  face  turned  towards  the  centre ;  by  the  time  you  will  have 
I  achieved  one  complete  round  you  will  have  completed  one  turn 
I  round  yourself,  since  your  eye  will  have  traversed  successively 
[  every  point  of  the  room.  Well,  then,  the  room  is  the  heavens,  the 
I  table  is  the  earth,  and  the  moon  is  yourself."  And  they  would  go 
'  away  delighted. 

So,  then,  the  moon  displays  invariably  the  same  face  to  the 
,  earth;  nevertheless,  to  be  quite  exact,  it  is  necessary  to  add  that, 
'  in  consequence  of  certain  fluctuations  of  north  and  south,  and  of 

west  and  east,  termed  her  libration,  she  permits  rather  more  than 

the  half,  that  is  to  say,  five-sevenths,  to  be  seen. 

As  soon  as  the  ignoramuses  came  to  understand  as  much  as  the 

Director  of  the  Observatory  himself  knew,  they  began  to  worry 

themselves  regarding  her  revolution  round  the  earth,  whereupon 


30  FROM   THE  EARTH   TO    THE  MOON. 


twenty  scientific  reviews  immediately  came  to  the  rescue.  They 
pointed  out  to  them  then  that  the  firmament,  with  its  infinitude  of 
stars,  may  be  considered  as  one  vast  dial-plate,  upon  which  the 
moon  travels,  indicating  the  true  time  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
earth;  that  it  is  during  this  movement  that  the  Queen  of  Night  ! 
exhibits  her  different  phases;  that  the  moon  is"  full  when  she  is  in 
opposition  with  the  sun,  that  is,  when  the  three  bodies  are  on  the 
same  straight  line,  the  earth  occupying  the  centre;  that  she  is  new 
when  she  is  in  conjunction  Avith  the  sun,  that  is,  when  she  is 
between  it  and  the  earth;  and  lastly,  that  she  is  in  \\qy  first  or  last 
quarter,  when  she  makes  with  the  sun  and  the  earth  an  angle  of 
which  she  herself  occupies  the  apex. 

Regarding  the  altitude  which  the  moon  attains  above  the  hori- 
zon, the  letter  of  the  Cambridge  Observatory  had  said  all  that  was 
to  be  said  in  that  respect.  Every  one  knew  that  this  altitude 
varies  according  to  the  latitude  of  the  observer.  But  the  only 
zones  of  the  globe  in  which  the  moon  passes  the  zenith,  that  is,  the 
point  directly  over  the  head  of  the  spectator,  are  of  necessity 
comprised  between  the  twenty-eighth  parallels  and  the  equator. 
Hence  the  importance  of  the  advice  to  try  the  experiment  upon 
some  point  of  that  part  of  the  globe,  in  order  that  the  projectile 
might  be  discharged  perpendicularly,  and  so  the  soonest  escape 
the  action  of  gravitation.  This  was  an  essential  condition  to  the 
success  of  the  enterprise,  and  continued  actively  to  engage  the 
public  attention. 

Regarding  the  path  described  by  the  moon  in  her  revolution 
round  the  earth,  the  Cambridge  Observatory  had  demonstrated 
that  this  path  is  a  re-entering  curve,  not  a  perfect  circle,  but  an 
ellipse,  of  which  the  earth  occupies  one  of  the  Joci.  It  was  also 
well  understood  that  it  is  farthest  removed  from  the  earth  during 
its  apogee,  and  approaches  most  nearly  to  it  at  its  perigee. 

m 

Such  then  was  the  extent  of  knowledge  possessed  by  every 
American  on  the  subject,  and  of  which  no  one  could  decently 
profess  ignorauce.     Still,  while  these  true  principles  were  being 


THE  PERMISSIVE   LIMITS   OF  IGNORANCE,   ETC,  3 1 


rapidly  dissemiuated  many  errors  and  illusory  fears  proved  less 
easy  to  eradicate. 

For  instance,  some  worthy  persons  maintained  that  the  moon 
was  an  ancient  comet  Avhich,  in  describing  its  elongated  orhit  round 
the  snn,  hapjiened  to  pass  near  the  earth,  and  became  confined 
within  her  circle  of  attraction.  These  drawing-room  astronomers 
professed  so  to  explain  the  chan-ed  aspect  of  the  moon — a 
disaster  which  they  attributed  to  the  intensity  of  the  solar  heat  ; 
only,  on  being  reminded  that  comets  have  an  atmosphere,  and 
that  the  moon  has  little  or  none,  they  were  fairly  at  a  loss  for 
a  reply. 

Others  again,  belonging  to  the  doubting  class  expressed  certain 
fears  as  to  the  position  of  the  moon.  They  had  heard  it  said  that, 
according  to  observations  made  in  the  time  of  the  Caliphs,  her 
revolution  had  become  accelerated  in  a  certain  degree.  Hence 
they  concluded,  logically  enough,  that  an  acceleration  of  motion 
ought  to  be  accompanied  by  a  corresj)onding  diminution  in  the 
distance  separating  the  two  bodies  ;  and  that,  supposing  the 
double  effect  to  be  continued  to  infinity,  the  moon  would  end  by 
one  day  fitUiug  into  the  earth.  However,  they  became  reassured 
as  to  the  fate  of  future  generations  on  being  apprised  that,  accord- 
ing to  the  calculations  of  Laplace,  this  acceleration  of  motion  is 
confined  within  very  restricted  limits,  and  that  a  proportional 
diminution  of  speed  will  be  certain  to  succeed  it.  So,  then,  the 
stabilit}^  of  the  solar  system  would  not  be  deranged  in  ages  to 
come. 

Their  remains  but  the  third  class,  the  superstitious.  These 
■v^orthies  were  not  content  merely  to  rest  in  ignorance;  they  must 
know  all  about  things  which  had  no  existence  whatever,  and  as 
to  the  moon,  they  had  long  known  all  about  hei\  One  set  regarded 
her  disc  as  a  polished  mirroi',  by  means  of  Avhich  people  could  see 
each  other  from  difterent  j^oints  of  the  earth  and  interchange  their 
thoughts.  Another  set  pretended  that  out  of  one  thousand  new 
moons  that  had  been  observed,  nine  hundred  and  fifty  had  been 


32  FROM   THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

attended  with  remarkable  disturbances,  such  as  cataclysms,  revolu- 
tious,  earthquakes,  the  deluge,  &c.  Then  they  believed  in  some 
mysterious  influence  exercised  by  her  over  human  destinies — that 
every  Selenite  was  attached  to  some  inhabitant  of  the  earth  by  a 
tie  of  sympathy;  they  maintained  that  the  entire  vital  system  is 
subject  to  her  control,  &c.,  &c.  But  in  time  the  majority  renounced 
these  vulgar  errors,  and  espoused  the  true  side  of  the  question.  As 
for  the  Yankees,  they  had  no  other  ambition  than  to  take  posses- 
sion of  this  new  continent  of  the  sky,  and  to  plant  upon  the  summit 
of  its  highest  elevation  the  star-spangled  banner  of  the  United 
States  of  America. 


I 


« 


barbica:ne  holds  forth. 


[p.  33.] 


THE  HYMM  OF   THE   CANNON-BALL. 


61 


CHAPTER  VIT. 

THE   HYMN    OF    THE    CANNON-BALL. 

The  Observatory  of  Cambridge  in  its  memorable  letter  hail  treated 
the-,  question  from  a  purely  astronomical  point  of  view.  The 
mechanical  part  still  remained. 

President  Barbicane  had,  without  loss  of  time,  nominated  a 
Working  Committee  of  the  Gun  Club.  The  duty  of  this  Com- 
mittee was  to  resolve  the  three  grand  questions  of  the  cannon,  the 
projectile,  and  the  powder.  It  was  composed  of  four  members  of 
great  technical  knowledge,  Barbicane  (with  a  casting  vote  in  case 
of  equality),  General  Morgan,  Major  Elphinstone,  and  J.  T.  Mas- 
ton,  to  whom  were  confided  the  functions  of  secretary.  On  the 
8th  of  October  the  Committee  met  at  the  house  of  President  Bar- 
bicane, 3,  Republican  Street.  The  meeting  Avas  opened  by  the 
president  himself. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  we  have  to  resolve  one  of  the  most 
important  problems  in  the  whole  of  the  noble  science  of  gunnery. 
It  might  appear,  perhaps,  the  most  logical  course  to  devote  our 
first  meeting  to  the  discussion  of  the  engine  to  be  employed. 
Nevertheless,  after  mature  consideration,  it  has  appeared  to  me 
that  the  question  of  the  projectile  must  take  precedence  of  that  of 
the  cannon,  and  that  the  dimensions  of  the  latter  must  necessarily 
depend  upon  those  of  the  former." 

"  Suffer  me  to  say  a  word,"  here  broke  in  J.  T.  Maston.  Per- 
mission having  been  granted,  "  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  with  an 
inspired  accent,  "  our  president  is  right  in  placing  the  question  of 
the  projectile  above  all  others.   The  ball  we  are  about  to  discharge 

D 


14. 


FROM    THE  EARTH   TO    THE   MOON. 


at  the  moon  is  our  ambassador  to  her,  and  I  wish  to  consider  it 
from  a  moral  point  of  view.  The  cannon-ball,  gentlemen,  to  my 
mind,  is  the  most  magnificent  manifestation  o^*  human  power.  If 
Providence  has  created  the  stars  and  the  planets,  man  has  called 
the  cannon-ball  into  existence.  Let  Providence  claim  the  swift- 
ness of  electricity  and  of  light,  of  the  stars,  the  comets,  and  the 
planets,  of  wind  and  sound — we  claim  to  have  invented  the  swift- 
ness of  the  cannon-ball,  a  hundred  times  superior  to  that  of  the 
swiftest  horses  or  railway  train.  How  glorious  will  be  the  moment 
when,  infinitely  exceeding  all  hitherto  attained  velocities,  Ave  shall 
launch  our  new  projectile  with  the  rapidity  of  seven  miles  a  second! 
Shall  it  not,  gentlemen — shall  it  not  be  received  up  there  with 
the  honours  due  to  a  terrestrial  ambassador  ?" 

Overcome  with  emotion  the  orator  sat  down  and  applied  himself 
to  a  huge  plate  of  sandwiches  before  him. 

"  And  now,"  said  Bai'bicane,  "  let  us  quit  the  domain  of  poetry 
and  come  direct  to  the  question." 

"  By  all  means,"  replied  the  members,  each  with  his  mouth  full 
of  sandwich. 

"  The  problem  before  us,"  continued  the  pi'esident,  "  is  how  to 
communicate  to  a  projectile  a  velocity  of  12,000  yards  per  second. 
Let  us  at  present  examine  the  velocities  hitherto  attained.  General 
Morgan  will  be  able  to  enlighten  us  on  this  point." 

"  And  the  more  easily,"  replied  the  general,  "  that  during  the 
war  I  Avas  a  member  of  the  Committee  of  experiments.  I  may 
say,  then,  that  the  100-pounder  Dahlgrens,  which  carried  a 
distance  of  5000  yards,  impressed  upon  their  projectile  an  initial 
velocity  of  500  yards  a  second.  The  Rodman  Columbiad  threw  a 
shot  weighing  half  a  ton  a  distance  of  six  miles,  Avith  a  velocity 
of  800  yards  per  second — a  result  Avhich  Armstrong  and  Palisser 
have  never  obtained  in  England." 

"  This,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  is,  I  believe,  the  maximum 
velocity  CA^er  attained  ?  " 

"  It  is  so,"  replied  the  general. 


THE  RODMAN  COLUMIUAD. 


[p.  34.1 


I 


1 


THE  HYMN  OF   THE   CANSON-BALL.  35 

"  Ah  ! "  groaned  J,  T.  Maston,  "  if  my  mortox  had  not 
burst—" 

"  Yes,"  quietly  replied  Barbicane,  "  but  it  did  burst.  Wo 
must  take,  then,  for  our  starting-point  this  velocity  of  800  yards. 
We  must  increase  it  twenty-fold.  Now,  reserving  for  another 
discussion  the  means  of  producing  this  velocity,  I  will  call  your 
attention  to  the  dimensions  which  it  will  be  proper  to  assign  to 
the  shot.  You  understand  that  we  have  nothing  to  do  here  Avith 
projectiles  weighing  at  most  but  half  a  ton." 
"  ^^'hy  not  ?"  demanded  the  major. 

"  Because  the  shot,"  quickly  replied  J.  T.  Maston,  "  must  be  big 
enough  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  moon, 
if  there  are  any  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  and  for  another  reason  more  impor- 
tant still." 

"  What  mean  you  ?"  asked  the  major. 

"  I  mean  that  it  is  not  enough  to  discharge  a  projectile,  and 
then  take  no  further  notice  of  it ;  we  must  follow  it  throughout 
its  course,  up  to  the  moment  when  it  shall  reach  its  goal." 

"  What  ?"  shouted  the  general  and  the  major  in  great  surprise. 
"  Undoubtedly,"  replied  Barbicane,  composedly,  "  or  our  ex- 
periment would  produce  no  result." 

"But  then,"  replied  the  major,  "you  will  have  to  give  this 
projectile  enormous  dimensions." 

"  No  !  Be  so  good  as  to  listen.  You  know  that  optical  in 
struments  have  acquired  great  perfection  ;  with  certain  telescopes 
we  have  succeeded  in  obtaining  enlai-gcmeuts  of  6000  times  and 
reducing  the  moon  to  within  forty  miles'  distance.  Now,  at  this 
distance,  any  objects  sixty  feet  square  would  be  perfectly  visible. 
If,  then,  the  penetrative  power  of  telescopes  has  not  been  further 
increased,  it  is  because  that  power  detracts  from  their  light  ;  and 
the  moon,  Avhich  is  but  a  reflecting  mirror,  does  not  give  back 
suthcient  light  to  enable  us  to  perceive  objects  of  lesser  magni- 
tude." 

D  2 


36  FROM    THE    EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

"Well,  then,  what  do  you  propose  to  do  ?"  asked  the  general. 
"  Would  you  give  your  projectile  a  diameter  of  sixty  feet  ?" 

"  Not  so." 

"  Do  you  intend,  then,  to  increase  the  luminous  power  of  the 
moon  ?" 

"  Exactly  so.  If  I  can  succeed  in  diminishing  the  density  of 
the  atmosphere  through  which  the  moon's  light  has  to  travel  I 
shall  have  rendered  her  light  more  intense.  To  effect  that  object 
it  will  be  enough  to  establish  a  telescope  on  some  elevated  moun- 
tain.    That  is  what  we  will  do." 

"  I  give  it  up,"  answered  the  major.  "  You  have  such  a  way 
of  simplifying  things.  And  what  enlai'gement  do  you  expect  to 
obtain  in  this  way  ?" 

"  One  of  48,000  times,  which  should  bring  the  moon  within  an    J 
apparent   distance   of    five  miles  ;    and,    in   order  to  be  visible, 
objects  need  not  have  a  diameter  of  moi'e  than  nine  feet." 

"  So,  then,"  cried  J.  T.  Maston,  "  our  projectile  i^eed  not  be 
more  than  nine  feet  in  diameter." 

"  Let  me  observe,  however,"  intermitted  Major  Eli^hinstone, 
"  this  will  involve  a  weight  such  as — " 

"  My  dear  major,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  before  discussing  its 
Aveight,  permit  me  to  enumerate  some  of  the  marvels  which  our 
ancestors  have  achieved  in  this  respect.  I  don't  mean  to  pretend 
that  the  liciencc  of  gunnery  has  not  advanced,  but  it  is  as  well  to 
bear  in  mind  that  during  the  middle  ages  they  obtained  results 
more  surprising,  I  will  venture  to  say,  than  ours.  For  instance, 
during  the  siege  of  Constantinople  by  Mahomet  II.,  in  1453, 
stone  shot  of  1900lbs.  weight  were  employed.  At  Malta,  in  the 
time  of  the  knights,  there  was  a  gun  of  the  fortress  of  St.  Elmo 
M'hich  threw  a  projectile  weighing  25001bs.  And,  noAV,  what  is 
the  extent  of  what  Ave  have  seen  ourselves  ?  Armstrong  guns 
discharging  shot  of  oOOlbs.,  and  the  Rodman  guns  projectiles 
of  half  a  ton  !  It  seems,  then,  that  if  projectiles  have  gained 
in   range,    they   have   lost   far   more   in   weight.     Now,    if  we 


'W.miiMmwiiiir.)»i«*'  WW 


CANNON  AT  MALTA  IN  THE  TIME  OF  THE  KNIGHTS. 


[p.  30.] 


THE   HYMN  OF   THE   CANNON-BALL.  37 

turn  our  efforts  in  that  direction,  Ave  ought  to  arrive,  with 
the  progress  of  science,  at  ten  times  the  weight  of  the  shot  of 
Mahomet  II.  and  the  Knights  of  Malta." 

"  Clearly,"  replied  the  major ;  "  but  Avhat  metal  do  you 
calculate  upon  employing  ?" 

"  Simply  cast  iron,"  said  General  Morgan, 

"  But,"  interrupted  the  major,  "  since  the  weight  of  a  shot  is 
proportionate  to  its  volume,  an  iron  ball  of  nine  feet  in  diameter 
would  be  of  tremendous  weight." 

"  Yes,  if  it  were  solid,  not  if  it  were  hollow." 
"  Hollow  ?  then  it  would  be  a  shell  ?  " 

"  Yes,  a  shell,"  replied  Barbicane  ;  "  decidedly  it  must  be.  A 
solid  shot  of  108  inches  would  weigh  more  than  200,0001bs., 
a  weight  evidently  far  too  great.  Still,  as  we  must  reserve  a 
certain  stability  for  our  projectile,  I  propose  to  give  it  a  weight  of 
20,0001bs." 

"  What,  then,  will  be  the  thickness  of  the  sides  ?  "  asked  the 
major. 

"  If  we  follow  the  usual  proportion,"  replied  Morgan,  "  a 
diameter  of  108  inches  would  require  sides  of  two  feet  thickness, 
or  less." 

"  That  would  be  too  much,"  replied  Barbicane  ;  "  for  you  will 
observe  that  the  question  is  not  tliat  of  a  shot  intended  to  pierce 
an  iron  plate  :  it  Avill  suffice,  therefore,  to  give  it  sides  strong 
enough  to  resist  the  pressure  of  the  gas.  The  problem,  therefore, 
is  this — What  thickness  ought  a  cast-iron  shell  to  have  in  order 
not  to  weigh  more  than  20,0001bs.  ?  Our  clever  secretary  will 
soon  enlighten  us  upon  this  point." 

"  Nothing  easier,"  replied  the  worthy  secretary  of  the  Com- 
mittee;  and,  rapidly  tracing  a  few  algebraical  formuUc  upon 
paper,  among  which  n^  and  x"  frequently  appeared,  he  presently 
said, — 

"  The  sides  will  require  a  thickness  of  less  than  two  inches." 
"  Will  that  be  enough  ?"  asked  the  major  doubtfully. 


38  FROM   THE  EARTH    TO    THE  MOON: 

"Clearly  not!"  repliod  the  president. 

"  What  is  to  be  done,  then?"  said  Elphinstone,  with  a  puzzled 
air. 

"Eaiploy  another  metal  instead  of  iron." 

"  Copper?"  said  Morgan. 

"  No;  that  would  be  too  heavy.  I  have  better  than  that  to 
offer." 

"  What  then?"  asked  the  major. 

"Aluminium!"  replied  Barbicane. 

"  Aluminium  ? "  cried  his  three  colleagues  in  chorus. 

"  Unquestionably,  my  friends.  This  valuable  metal  possesses 
the  whiteness  of  silver,  the  indestructibility  of  gold,  the  tenacity 
of  iron,- the  fusibility  of  copper,  the  lightness  of  glass.  It  is 
easily  wrought,  is  very  widely  distributed,  forming  the  base  of 
most  of  the  rocks,  is  three  times  lighter  than  iron,  and  seems  to 
have  been  created  for  the  express  purpose  of  furnishing  us  with 
the  material  for  our  projectile." 

"  But,  my  dear  president,"  said  the  major,  "  is  not  the  cost 
price  of  aluminium  extremely  high?" 

"  It  was  so  at  its  first  discovery,  but  it  has  fallen  now  to  nine 
dollars  the  pound." 

"But  still,  nine  dollars  the  pound!"  replied  the  major,  who 
Avas  not  willing  readily  to  give  in;  "even  that  is  an  enormous 
price." 

"Undoubtedly,  my  dear  major;  bnt  not  beyond  our  reach." 

"What  will  the  projectile  weigh  then?"  asked  Morgan. 

"  Here  is  the  result  of  my  calculations,"  replied  Barbicane. 
"A  shot  of  108  inches  in  diameter,  and  12  inches  in  thickness, 
would  weigh,  in  cast-iron,  67,4401bs.;  cast  in  aluminium,  its 
weight  will  be  reduced  to  19,2o01bs." 

"Capital!"  cried  the  major;  "bnt  do  you  know  that,  at  nine 
dollars  the  pound,  this  projectile  will  cost — " 

"  One  hundred  and  seventy-three  thousand  and  fifty  dollars 
(§173,050).     I  know  it  quite  well.     But  fear  not,  my  friends;  the 


THE   HYMN  OF   THE   CANNON-BALL.  39 

money  will  not  be  wanting  for  our  enterprise,  I  will  ansAver  for 
it.     Now  what  say  you  to  aluminium,  gentlemen?" 

"Adopted!"  replied  the  three  members  of  the  Committee. 

So  ended  the  first  meeting.  The  question  of  the  projectile  was 
definitively  settled. 


40  FROM    THE   EARTH   TO    THE  MOON. 


CHAPTER  Vni. 

HISTOKY   OF    THE    CANNON. 

The  resolutions  passed,  at  the  last  meeting  produced  a  great  effect 
out  of  doors.  Timid  people  took  friglit  at  the  idea  of  a  shot 
weighing  20,0001bs.  being  launched  into  space;  they  asked  what 
cannon  could  ever  transmit  a  sufficient  velocity  to  such  a  mighty 
mass.  The  minutes  of  the  second  meeting  were  destined  trium- 
phantly to  answer  such  questions.  The  following  evening  the 
discussion  was  renewed. 

"  My  dear  colleagues,"  said  Barbicaue,  without  further  preamble, 
"  the  subject  now  before  us  is  the  construction  of  the  engine,  its 
length,  its  composition,  and  its  weight.  It  is  probable  that  wo 
shall  end  by  giving  it  gigantic  dimensions ;  but  however  great 
may  be  the  difficulties  in  the  way,  our  mechanical  genius  will 
readily  surmount  them.  Be  good  enough,  then,  to  give  me  your 
attention,  and  do  not  hesitate  to  make  objections  at  the  close.  I 
have  no  fear  of  them.  The  problem  before  us  is  how  to  commu- 
nicate an  initial  force  of  12,000  yards  per  second  to  a  shell  of  108 
inches  in  diameter,  weighing  20,0001bs.  Now  when  a  projectile 
is  launched  into  space,  what  happens  to  it?  It  is  acted  upon  by 
three  independent  forces,  the  resistance  of  the  air,  the  attraction 
of  the  earth,  and  the  force  of  impulsion  with  which  it  is  endowed. 
Let  us  examine  these  three  forces.  The  resistance  of  the  air  is 
of  little  importance.  The  atmosphere  of  the  earth  does  not 
exceed  forty  miles.  Now,  with  the  given  rapitlity,  the  projectile 
will  have  traversed  this  in  five  seconds,  and  the  period  is  too 
brief  for  the  resistance  of  the  medium  to  be  regarded  otherwise 


HISTORY  OF   THE   CANNON.  4 1 


than  as  insignificant.  Proceeding,  then,  to  the  attraction  of  tho 
earth,  that  is,  the  weight  of  the  shell,  we  know  that  this  weight 
will  diminish  in  the  inverse  ratio  of  the  square  of  the  distance. 
When  a  body  left  to  itself  falls  to  the  surface  of  the  earth,  it  falls 
five  feet  in  the  first  second;  and  if  the  same  body  were  removed 
257,542  miles  farther  off,  in  other  words,  to  the  distance  of  tho 
moon,  its  fall  would  be  reduced  to  about  half  a  line  in  the  first 
second.  That  is  almost  equivalent  to  a  state  of  perfect  rest. 
Our  business,  then,  is  to  overcome  progressively  this  action  of 
gravitation.  The  mode  of  accomplishing  that  is  by  the  force  of 
impulsion." 

"  There's  the  difficulty,"  broke  in  the  major. 
"True,"  replied  the  president;  "but  we  will  overcome  that, 
for  this  force  of  impulsion  will  depend  upon  the  length  of  the 
engine  aod  the  powder  employed,  the  latter  being  limited  only  by 
the  resisting  power  of  the  former.  Our  business,  then,  to-day  is 
with  the  dimensions  of  the  cannon." 

"  Now,  up  to  the  present  time,"  said  Barbicane,  "  our  longest 
guns  have  not  exceeded  twenty-five  feet  in  length.  We  shall 
therefore  astonish  the  world  by  the  dimensions  we  shall  be 
obliged  to  adopt.  It  must  evidently  be,  then,  a  gun  of  great 
range,  since  the  length  of  the  piece  will  increase  the  detention  of 
the  gas  accumulated  behind  the  projectile;  but  there  is  no  advan- 
ta^^e  in  passing  certain  limits." 

"Quite  so,"  said  the  major.     "What  is  the  rule  in  such  a 


case?" 


"  Ordinarily  the  length  of  a  gun  is  20  to  25  times  the  diameter 
of  the  shot,  and  its  weight  235  to  240  times  that  of  the  shot." 

"  That  is  not  enough,"  cried  J.  T.  Maston  impetuously. 

"I  agree  with  you,  my  good  friend;  and,  in  fact,  following 
this  prrportion  for  a  projectile  nine  feet  in  diameter,  weighing 
30,0001bs.,  the  gun  would  only  have  a  length  of  225  feet,  and  a 
weight  of  7,2O0,0001bs." 

"  Ridiculous  !  "  rejoined  Maston.     "  As  well  take  a  pistol." 


42  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

"  I  tliink  so  too,"  replied  Barbicaue;  "  that  is  why  I  propose 
to  quadruple  that  length,  and  to  construct  a  gun  of  900  feet." 

Tlie  general  and  the  major  offered  some  objections;  never- 
theless, the  proposition,  actively  supported  by  the  secretary,  was 
definitively  adopted. 

"  But,"  said  Elphinstone,  "  what  thickness  must  we  give  it  ?  " 

"  A  thickness  of  six  feet,"  replied  Barbicane. 

"  You  surely  don't  think  of  mounting  a  mass  like  that  upon  a 
carriage  ?  "  asked  the  major. 

"  It  would  be  a  superb  idea,  though,"  said  Maston. 

"  But  impracticable,"  replied  Barbicane.  "  No ;  I  think  of 
sinking  this  engine  in  the  earth  alone,  binding  it  with  hoops  of 
wrought  iron,  and  finally  surrounding  it  with  a  thick  mass  of 
masonry  of  stone  and  cement.  The  piece  once  cast,  it  must  be 
bored  with  great  precision,  so  as  to  preclude  any  possible 
windage.  So  there  will  be  no  loss  whatever  of  gas,  and  all 
the  expansive  force  of  the  powder  will  be  employed  in  the 
propulsion." 

"  One  simple  question,"  said  Elphinstone  :  "  is  our  gun  to  be 
rifled  ?  " 

"  No,  certainly  not,"  replied  Barbicane;  "  we  require  an 
enormous  initial  velocity;  and  you  are  Avell  aware  that  a  shot 
quits  a  rifled  gun  less  rapidly  than  it  does  a  smooth-bore." 

"  True,"  rejoined  the  major. 

The  Committee  here  adjourned  for  a  few  minutes  to  tea  and 
sandwiches. 

On  the  discussion  being  renewed,  *'  Gentlemen,"  said  Barbi- 
cane, "  we  must  now  take  into  consideration  the  metal  to  be 
employed.  •  Our  cannon  must  be  possessed  of  great  tenacity, 
great  hardness,  be  infusible  by  heat,  indissoluble,  and  inoxydable 
by  the  corrosive  action  of  acids." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  about  that/'  replied  the  major;  "  and  as 
we  shall  have  to  employ  an  immense  quantity  of  metal,  we  shall 
not  be  at  a  loss  for  choice." 


IDEAL  SKETCH  OF  J.  T.  MASTON'S  GUN. 


[p.  42.] 


i 


HISTORY  OF    THE   CANNON.  43 


"  Well,  then,"  said  Morgan,  "  I  propose  the  best  alloy  hitherto 
known,  which  consists  of  100  parts  of  copper,  12  of  tin,  and  6  of 

brass." 

"  I  admit,"  replied  the  president,  "  that  this  composition  has 
yielded  excellent  results,  but  in  the  present  case  it  would  be  too 
expensive,  and  very  difficult  to  work.  I  think,  then,  that  we 
ought  to  adopt  a  material  excellent  in  its  way  and  of  low  price, 
such  as  cast  iron.     What  is  your  advice,  major  ?  " 

**  I  quite  agree  with  you,"  replied  Eiphinstone. 

"  In  fact,"  continued  Barbicane,  "  cast  iron  cost  ten  times  less 
than  bronze;  it  is  easy  to  cast,  it  runs  readily  from  the  moulds  of 
sand,  it  is  easy  of  manipulation,  it  is  at  once  economical  of  money 
and  of  time.  In  addition,  it  is  excellent  as  a  material,  and  I  well 
remember  that  during  the  war,  at  the  siege  of  Atlanta,  some  iron 
guns  fired  one  thousand  rounds  at  intervals  of  twenty  minutes 
without  injury." 

"  Cast  iron  is  very  brittle,  though,"  replied  Morgan. 

"  Yes,  but  it  possesses  great  resistance.  I  will  now  ask  our 
worthy  secretary  to  calculate  the  weight  of  a  cast-iron  gun  with 
a  bore  of  nine  feet  and  a  thickness  of  six  feet  of  metal." 

"  In  a  moment,"  replied  Maston.  Then,  dashing  off  some  alge- 
braical formulte  with  marvellous  facility,  in  a  minute  or  two  he 
declared  the  following  result : — 

"  The  cannon  will  weigh  68,040  tons.  And,  at  two  cents  a 
pound,  it  Avill  cost —  ?  " 

"  2,510,701  dollars." 

Maston,  the  major,  and  the  general  regarded  Barbicane  with 
uneasy  looks. 

"  Well,  gentlemen,"  replied  the  president,  "  I  repeat  what  I 
said  yesterday.     Make  yourselves  easy;  the  millions  will  not  be 


wanting. 


With  this  assurance   of  their  president  the  Committee  sepa- 
rated, after  having  fixed  their  third  meeting  for  the  following 


evening. 


44  FRO  HI    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    QUESTION   OF    THE    POWDERS. 

There  remained  for  consitlei-ation  merely  the  question  of  powders. 
The  public  awaited  with  interest  its  final  decision.  The  size  of 
the  projectile,  the  length  of  the  cannon  being  settled,  what  would 
be  the  quantity  of  powder  necessary  to  produce  impulsion  ? 

It  is  generally  asserted  that  gunpowder  was  invented  in  the 
fourteenth  century  by  the  monk  Schwartz,  who  paid  for  his 
grand  discovery  with  his  life.  It  is,  however,  pretty  well  proved 
that  this  story  ought  to  be  ranked  amongst  the  legends  of  the  . 
middle  ages.  Gunpowder  was  not  invented  by  any  one  ;  it  was 
the  lineal  successor  of  the  Greek  fire,  which,  like  itself,  was 
composed  of  sulphur  and  saltpetre.  Few  persons  are  acquainted 
with  the  mechanical  power  of  gunpowder.  Now  this  is  pre- 
cisely what  is  necessary  to  be  understood  in  order  to  comprehend 
the  importance  of  the  question  submitted  to  the  committee. 

A  litre  of  gunpowder  weighs  about  21bs.;  during  combustion 
it  produces  400  litres  of  gas.  This  gas,  on  being  liberated  and 
acted  upon  by  a  temperature  raised  to  2400  degrees,  occupies  a 
space  of  4000  litres:  consequently  the  volume  of  powder  is  to  the 
volume  of  gas  produced  by  its  combustion  as  1  to  4000.  One 
may  judge,  therefore,  of  the  tremendous  pressure  oi"  this  gas  when 
compressed  within  a  space  4000  times  too  confined.  All  this  was, 
of  course,  well  known  to  the  members  of  the  committee  when 
they  met  on  the  following  evening. 

The  first  speaker  on  this    occasion   was   Major   Elphinstone, 


THE  INVENTION  OF  GUNPOWDER  BY  THE  MONK  SCHWARTZ. 

Ll>.  44-1 


THE   QUESTION  OF    THE  POWDERS.  45 

who  had  been  the  director  of  the  gunpowder  factories  during  the 
war. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  this  distinguished  chemist,  '*  I  begin  with 
some  figures  whicli  will  serve  as  the  basis  of  onr  calculation. 
The  old  24-pouuder  shot  required  for  its  discharge  IGlbs.  of 
powder." 

"  You  are  certain  of  the  amount  ?  "  broke  in  Barbicane. 

"  Quite  certain,"  replied  the  majoi'.  "  The  Armstrong  cannon 
employs  only  75 lbs.  of  powder  for  a  projectile  of  SOOlbs.,  and  the 
Rodman  Columbiad  uses  only  1601bs.  of  powder  to  send  its  half- 
ton  shot  a  distance  of  six  miles.  These  fticts  cannot  be  called  in 
question,  for  I  myself  raised  the  point  during  the  depositions  taken 
before  the  Committee  of  Artillery." 

"  Quite  true,"  said  the  general. 

"  Well,"  replied  the  major,  "  these  figures  go  to  prove  that  the 
quantity  of  powder  is  not  increased  with  the  weight  of  the  shot  ; 
that  is  to  say,  if  a  24-pounder  shot  requires  IGlbs.  of  powder  ; — 
in  other  words,  if  in  ordinary  guns  we  employ  a  quantity  of 
powder  equal  to  two-thirds  of  the  weight  of  the  projectile,  this 
proportion  is  not  constant.  Calculate,  and  you  will  see  that  in 
place  of  3331bs.  of  powder,  the  quantity  is  reduced  to  no  more 
than  leOlbs." 

"  What  are  you  aiming  at  ?  "  asked  the  president. 

"  If  you  push  your  theory  to  extremes,  my  dear  major,"  said 
J.  A.  Maston,  "you  will  get  to  this,  that  as  soon  as  your 
shot  becomes  sufficiently  heavy  you  will  not  require  any  powder 
at  all." 

"  Our  friend  Maston  is  always  at  his  jokes,  even  in  serious 
matters,"  cried  the  major ;  *'  but  let  him  make  his  mind  easy,  I 
am  going  presently  to  propose  gunpowder  enough  to  satisfy  his 
artillerist's  propensities.  I  only  keep  to  statistical  facts  when  I 
say  that  during  the  war,  and  for  the  very  largest  guns,  the  weight 
of  powder  was  reduced,  as  the  result  of  experience,  to  a  tenth  part 
of  the  weight  of  the  shot." 


46  FROM   THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON". 

"  Perfectly  correct,"  said  Murgau  ;  "  but  before  deciding  the 
quantity  of  powder  necessary  to  give  the  impulse,  I  think  it  would 
be  as  well — " 

"  We  shall  have  to  employ  a  large-grained  powder,"  continued 
the  major,  "  its  combustion  is  more  rapid  than  that  of  the  small." 

"  No  doubt  about  that,"  replied  Morgan,  "  but  it  is  very 
destructive,  and  ends  by  enlarging  the  bore  of  the  pieces." 

"  Granted  ;  but  that  which  is  injurious  to  a  gun  destined  to 
perform  long  service  is  not  so  to  our  Columbiad.  We  shall  run 
no  danger  of  an  explosion  ;  and  it  is  necessary  that  our  powder 
should  lake  fire  instantaneously  in  order  that  its  mechanical  effect 
may  be  complete." 

"  We  must  have,"  said  Maston,  "  several  touch-holes,  so  as  to 
fire  it  at  different  points  at  the  same  time." 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Elphinstone  ;  "  but  that  will  reuder  tho 
working  of  the  piece  more  difficult.  I  return  then  to  my  large- 
grained  powder,  which  removes  those  difficulties.  In  his  Columbiad 
charges  Rodman  employed  a  powder  as  large  as  chestnuts,  made 
of  willow  charcoal,  simply  dried  in  cast-iron  pans.  This  powder, 
was  hard  and  glittering,  left  no  trace  upon  the  hand,  contained 
hydrogen  and  oxygen  in  large  proportion,  took  fire  instantaneously, 
and,  though  very  destructive,  did  not  sensibly  injure  the  mouth- 
piece." 

Up  to  this  point  Barbicane  had  kept  aloof  from  the  discussion; 
he  left  the  others  to  speak  while  he  himself  listened  ;  he  had 
evidently  got  an  idea.  He  now  simply  said,  "  Well,  my  friends, 
what  quantity  of  powder  do  you  propose  ?" 

The  three  members  look  at  one  another. 

"  Two  hundred  thousand  pounds,"  at  last  said  Morgan. 

*'  Five  hundred  thousand,"  added  the  major. 

"  Eight  hundred  thousand,"  screamed  Maston. 

A  moment  of  silence  followed  this  triple  proposal ;  it  was  at 
last  broken  by  the  president. 

*•  Geutlemen,"  he  quietly  said,  "  I  start  from  this  principle,  that 


THE   QUESTION  OF    THE   POWDERS.  47 

the  resistance  of  a  gun,  constructed  under  the  given  conditions,  is 
unlimited.  I  shall  surprise  our  friend  Mastcn,  then,  by  stigma- 
tizing his  calculations  as  timid  ;  and  I  propose  to  double  his 
800,0001bs.  of  powder." 

"  Sixteen  hundred  thousand  pounds  ?  "  shouted  Maston,  leaping 
from  his  seat. 

«  Just  so." 

"  We  shall  have  to  come  then  to  my  ideal  of  a  cannon  half  a 
mile  long  ;  for  you  see  l,600,0001bs.  will  occupy  a  space  of  about 
20,000  cubic  feet;  and  sisce  the  contents  of  your  cannon  do  not 
exceed  54,000  cubic  feet,  it  would  be  half  full;  and  the  bore  will 
not  be  more  than  long  enough  for  the  gas  to  communicate  to  the 
projectile  sufficient  imjjulse." 

**  Nevertheless,"  said  the  president,  "  I  hold  to  that  quantity  of 
powder.  Now,  l,600,0001bs.  of  powder  will  create  6,000,000,000 
of  litres  of  gas.    Six  thousand  millions  !    You  quite  understand?" 

"  What  is  to  be  done  then  ?  "  said  the  general. 

"  The  thing  is  very  simple ;  we  must  reduce  this  enormous 
quantity  of  powder,  while  preserving  to  it  its  mechanical  power." 

"  Good;  but  by  what  means?" 

"I  am  going  to  tell  you,"  replied  Barbicane  quietly.  "  Nothing 
is  more  easy  than  to  reduce  this  mass  to  one  quarter  of  its  bulk. 
You  know  that  curious  cellular  matter  w^hich  constitutes  the 
elementary  tissues  of  vegetables?'  This  substance  is  found  quite 
pure  in  many  bodies,  especially  in  cotton,  which  is  nothing  more 
than  the  down  of  the  seeds  of  the  cotton  plant.  Now  cotton,  com- 
bined Avith  cold  nitric  acid,  becomes  transformed  into  a  substance 
eminently  insoluble,  combustible,  and  explosive.  It  was  first  dis- 
covered in  1832,  by  Braconnot,  a  French  chemist,  who  called  it 
xyloidine.  In  1838  another  Frenchman,  Pelouze,  investigated  its 
different  properties,  and  finally,  in  1846,  Schonbein,  Professor  of 
Chemistry  at  Bale,  proposed  its  employment  for  purposes  of  war. 
This  powder,  now  called  pyroxyle,  or  fulminating  cotton,  is  pre- 
pared with  great  facility  by  simply  plunging   cotton   for  fifteen 


48  FROM    THE  EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 


minutes  iu  nitric  acid,  theu  Avashiug  it  in  water,  then  drying  it, 
and  it  is  ready  for  use." 

"  Nothing  could  be  more  simple,"  said  Morgan. 

"  Moi;eover,  pyroxyle  is  unaltered  by  moisture — a  valuable 
property  to  us,  inasmuch  as  it  would  take  several  days  to  charge 
the  cannon.  It  ignites  at  170  degrees  in  place  of  240,  and  its  com- 
bustion is  so  rapid  that  one  may  set  light  to  it  on  the  top  of 
ordinary  powder,  without  the  latter  having  time  to  ignite." 

"Perfect!"  exclaimed  the  major. 

*'  Only  it  is  more  expensive." 

"  What  matter  ?  "  cried  J.  T.  Maston. 

"  Finally,  it  imparts  to  projectiles  a  velocity  four  times  superior 
to  that  of  gunpowder.  I  will  even  add,  that  if  we  mix  with  it 
one-eighth  of  its  own  weight  of  nitrate  of  potass,  its  expansive 
force  is  again  considerably  augmented." 

"  Will  that  be  necessary  ?  "  asked  the  major. 

"I  think  not,"  replied  Barbicane.  "So,  then,  in  place  of 
l,600,0001bs.  of  powder,  we  shall  have  but  400,000lbs.  of  ful- 
minating cotton;  and  since  we  can,  without  danger,  compress 
5001bs.  of  cotton  into  27  cubic  feet,  the  whole  quantity  will  not 
occupy  a  height  of  more  than  180  feet  within  the  bore  of  the 
Columbiad.  In  this  way  the  shot  will  have  more  than  700  feet 
of  bore  to  traverse  under  a  force  of  6,000,000,000  litres  of  gas " 
before  taking  its  flight  towards  the  moon." 

At  this  junction  J.  T.  Maston  could  not  repress  his  emotion; 
he  flung  himself  into  the  arms  of  his  friend  with  the  violence  of  a 
projectile,  and  Barbicane  would  have  been  stove  in  if  he  had  not 
been  bomb-proof. 

This  incident  terminated  the  third  meeting  of  the  Committee. 

Barbicane  and  his  bold  colleagues,  to  whom  nothing  seemed 
impossible,  had  succeeded  in  solving  the  complex  problems  of  pro- 
jectile, cannon,  and  powder.  Their  plan  was  drawn  up,  and  it 
only  remained  to  pxit  it  in  execution. 

"  A  mere  matter  of  detail,  a  bagatelle,"  said  J.  T.  Maston. 


CAPTAIN  NICIIOLL. 


[,..  48.1 


ONE    ENEMY  V.    TWENTY-FIVE   MILLIONS   OF  FRIENDS.         4q 


CHAPTER  X. 

ONE   ENEMY  V.    TWENTY-FIVE   MILLIONS    OF   FEIENDS. 

The  American  public  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  smallest  details 
of  the  enterprise  of  the  Gun  Club.  It  followed  day  by  day  the 
discussioQS  of  the  committee.  The  most  simple  preparation  for 
the  great  experiment,  the  questions  of  figures  which  it  involved, 
the  mechanical  difficulties  to  be  resolved — in  one  word,  the  entire 
plan  of  work — roused  the  popular  excitement  to  the  highest 
pitch. 

The  purely  scientific  attraction  was  suddenly  intensified  by  the 
following  incident : — 

We  have  seen  what  legions  of  admirers  and  friends  Barbicane's 
project  had  rallied  round  its  author.  There  was,  however,  one 
single  individual  alone  in  all  the  States  of  the  Union  who  pro- 
tested against  the  attempt  of  the  Gun  Club.  He  attacked  it 
furiously  on  every  opportunity,  and  human  nature  is  such  that 
Barbicane  felt  more  keenly  the  opposition  of  that  one  man  than 
he  did  the  applause  of  all  the  others.  He  was  well  aware  of  the 
motive  of  this  antipathy,  the  origin  of  this  solitary  enmity,  the 
cause  of  its  personality  and  old  standing,  and  in  what  rivalry  of 
self-love  it  had  its  rise. 

This  persevering  enemy  the  President  of  the  Gun  Club  had 
never  seen.  Fortunate  that  it  was  so,  for  a  meeting  between  the 
two  men  would  certainly  have  been  attended  with  serious  conse- 
quences. This  rival  was  a  man  of  science,  like  Barbicane  himself, 
of  a  fieiy,  daring,  and  violent  disposition  ;  a  pure  Yankee.  His 
name  was  Captain  Nicholl ;  he  lived  at  Philadelphia. 

E 


5° 


FROM   THE   EARTH   TO    THE  MOON. 


Most   people   are  awai'e  of  the  curious  struggle  which  arose! 
during  the  Federal  war  between  the  guns  and  the  armour  of  iron- 
plated  ships.     The  result  was  the  entire  reconstruction  of  the  navy  J 
of  both  the  continents;  as  the  one  grew  heavier,  the  other  became] 
thicker   in    proportion.     The    "Merrimac,"  the    "Monitor,"  the| 
"  Tennessee,"  the    "  Weehawken"  discharged  enormous  projec- 
tiles themselves,  after  having  been  ai"mour-clad  against  the  pro- 
jectiles of  others.     In  fact  they  did  to  others  that  which  they  would! 
not  they  should  do  to  them — that  grand  principle  of  immorality] 
upon  which  rests  the  whole  art  of  war. 

Now  if  Barbicane  was  a  great  founder  of  shot,  Nicholl  was  al 
great  forger  of  plates;  the  one   cast  night  and  day  at  Baltimore, 
the  other  forged  day  and  night  at  Philadelphia.     As  soon  as  ever] 
Barbicane    invented  a  new  shot,  NichoU  invented  a  new  plate, 
each  followed  a  current  of  ideas  essentially  opposed  to  the  other. 
Happily  for  these  citizens,  so  useful  to  their  country,  a  distance! 
of  from  fifty  to  sixty  miles  separated  them  from  one  another,  and 
they  had  never  yet  met.     Which  of  these  two  inventors  had  the 
advantage  over  the  other  it  was  difficult  to  decide  from  the  resultaj 
obtained.     By  last  accounts,  however,    it   would  seem  that  the] 
armour-plate  would  in  the  end  have  to  give  way  to  the  shot  ;j 
nevertheless,  there  were  competent  judges  who  had  their  doubtaj 
on  the  point. 

At  the  last  experiment  the  cylindro-conical  projectiles  ofl 
Barbicane  stuck  like  so  many  pins  in  the  Nicholl  plates.  On  that] 
day  the  Philadelphian  iron-forger  then  believed  himself  victorious,] 
and  could  not  evince  contempt  enough  for  his  rival;  but  when] 
the  other  afterwards  substituted  for  conical  shot  simple  6001b.] 
shells,  at  very  moderate  velocity,  the  captain  was  obliged  toj 
give  in.  In  fact,  these  projectiles  knocked  his  best  metal  plate  tc 
shivers. 

Matters  were  at  this  stage,  and  victory  seemed  to  rest  wit! 
the  shot,  Avhen  the  war  came  to  an  end  on  the  very  day  whei 
Nicholl  had  completed  a  new  armour-plate  of  wrouijht  steel.     Itl 


NICUOLL  PUBLISHED  A  NUirBER  OF  LETTERS 
IN  THE  NEWSPAPERS. 


[p.  51.] 


ONE   ENEMY  V.     TWENTY-FIVE   MILLIONS   OF  FRIENDS.  51 


was  a  masterpiece  of  its  kind,  and  bid  defiance  to  all  the  projectiles 
in  the  world.  The  captain  had  it  conveyed  to  the  Polygon  at 
Washington,  challenging  the  President  of  the  Gun  Club  to  break 
it.  Barbicane,  peace  having  been  declared,  declined  to  try  the 
experiment. 

Nicholl,  now  furious,  offered  to  expose  his  plate  to  the  shock 
of  any  shot,  solid,  hollow,  round,  or  conical.  Refused  by  iho 
president,  who  did  not  choose  to  compromise  his  last  success. 

Nicholl,  disgusted  by  this  obstinacy,  tried  to  tempt  Barbicane 
by  offering  him  qycyj  chance.  He  proposed  to  fix  the  plate 
Avithin  two  hundred  yards  of  the  gun.  Barbicane  still  obstinate 
in  refusal.     A  himdred  yards  ?     Not  even  seventy-jive  ! 

*' At  fifty  then  !"  roared  the  captain  through  the  newspapers. 
"  At  twenty-five  yards  !  !  and  I'll  stand  behind  ! ! !" 

Barbicane  returned  for  answer  that,  even  if  Captain  Nicholl 
would  be  so  good  as  to  stand  in  front,  he  would  not  fire  any  more. 

Nicholl  could  not  contain  himself  at  this  reply;  threw  out  hints 
of  cowardice;  that  a  man  who  refused  to  fire  a  cannon-shot  was 
pretty  near  being  afraid  of  it;  that  artillerists  who  fight  at  six 
miles'  distance  are  substituting  mathematical  formulaB  for  indivi- 
dual courage. 

To  these  insinuations  Barbicane  returned  no  answer  ;  perhaps 
he  never  heard  of  them,  so  absorbed  was  he  in  the  calculations 
for  his  great  enterprise. 

When  his  famous  communication  was  made  to  the  Gun  Club, 
the  captain's  wrath  passed  all  bounds;  with  his  intense  jealousy 
was  mingled  a  feeling  of  absolute  impotence.  How  was  he  to 
invent  anything  to  beat  this  900-f6et  Columbiad  ?  What  armour- 
plate  could  ever  resist  a  projectile  of  30,0001bs.  weigbt  ?  Over- 
whelmed at  first  under  this  violent  shock,  he  by  and  by  recovered 
himself,  and  resolved  to  crush  the  proposal  by  the  weight  of  his 


arguments. 


He  then  violently  attacked  the  labours  of  the  Gun  Club,  pub- 
lished a  number  of  letters  in  the  newspapers,  endeavoured  to 

E  2 


QHIVERS*TY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


52 


FROM   THE  EARTH   TO    THE  MOON. 


prove  Barbicaue  ignorant  of  the  first  principles  of  gunnery.  He 
maintained  that  it  was  absolutely  impossible  to  impress  upon  any 
body  whatever  a  velocity  of  12,000  yards  per  second  ;  that  even 
with  such  a  velocity  a  projectile  of  such  a  weight  could  not 
transcend  the  limits  of  the  earth's  atmosphere.  Further  still, 
even  regarding  the  velocity  to  be  acquired,  and  granting  it  to  be 
sufficient,  the  shell  could  not  resist  the  pressure  of  the  gas  deve- 
loped by  the  ignition  of  l,600,0001bs.  of  powder;  and  supposing 
it  to  resist  that  pressure,  it  would  be  the  less  able  to  support  that 
temperature;  it  would  melt  on  quitting  the  Columbiad,  and  fall 
back  in  a  red-hot  shower  upon  the  heads  of  the  imprudent 
spectators. 

Barbicane  continued  his  work  without  regarding  these  attacks. 

NichoU  then  took  up  the  question  in  its  other  aspects.  Without 
touching  upon  its  uselessness  in  all  points  of  view,  he  regaixled 
the  experiment  as  fraught  with  extreme  danger,  both  to  the 
citizens,  who  might  sanction  by  their  presence  so  reprehensible  a 
spectacle,  and  also  to  the  towns  in  the  neighbourhood  of  this 
deplorable  cannon.  He  also  observed  that  if  the  projectile  did 
not  succeed  in  reaching  its  destination  (a  result  absolutely  impos- 
sible), it  must  inevitably  fall  back  upon  the  earth,  and  that  the 
shock  of  such  a  mass,  multiplied  by  the  square  of  its  velocity, 
would  seriously  endanger  every  point  of  the  globe.  Under  the 
circumstances,  therefore,  and  without  interfering  with  the  rights 
of  free  citizens,  it  was  a  case  for  the  intervention  of  Government, 
which  ought  not  to  endanger  the  safety  of  all  for  the  pleasure  of 
one  individual. 

Spite  of  all  his  arguments,  however,  Captain  Nicholl  remained 
alone  in  his  opinion.  Nobody  listened  to  him,  and  he  did  not 
succeed  in  alienating  a  single  admirer  from  the  President  of  the 
Gun  Club.  The  latter  did  not  even  take  the  pains  to  refute  the 
arguments  of  his  rival. 

Nicholl,  driven  into  his  last  entrenchments,  and  not  able  to  fight 
personally  in  the  cause,  resolved  to  fight  with  money.     He  pub- 


ONE  ENEMY  V.    TWENTY-FIVE   MILLIONS   OF  FRIENDS.         53 

lished,  thex'efore,  in  the  Richmond  Inquirer  a  series  of  wagers, 
conceived  in  tliese  terms,  and  on  an  increasing  scale  : — 

No.  1  (1000  dols.). — Tbat  tlie  necessary  funds  for  the  experi- 
ment of  the  Gun  Chib  will  not  be  forthcoming, 
No.  2  (2000  dols.). — That  the  operation  of  casting  a  cannon 
of  900   feet   is   impracticable,    and   cannot   possibly 
succeed. 
No.  3  (3000  dols.). — That  it  is  impossible  to  load  the  Colum- 
biad,  and  that  the  pyroxyle  will  take  fire  spontane- 
ously under  the  pressure  of  the  projectile. 
No.  4  (4000  dols.). — That  the  Columbiad  will  burst  at  the 

first  fire. 
No.  5  (5000  dols.). — That  the  shot  will  not  travel  farther  than 
six   miles,    and   that   it    will  fall  back  again  a  few 
seconds  after  its  discharge. 
It  was  an  important  sum,  therefore,  which  the  captain  risked 
in  his  invincible  obstinacy.     He  had  no  less  than  15,000  dollars 
at  stake. 

Notwithstanding  the  importance  of  the  challenge,  on  the  19th 
of  May  he  received  a  sealed  packet  containing  the  following 
superbly  laconic  reply  :— 

"Baltimore,  Oct.  19. 
«  Done. 

"  Barbicane." 


54 


FROM   THE  EARTH   TO    THE  MOON. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


FLORIDA  AND    TEXAS. 


One  question  yet  remained  to  be  decided  :  it  was  necessary  to 
choose  a  favourable  spot  for  tlie  experiment.  According  to  the 
advice  of  the  Observatory  of  Cambridge,  the  gun  must  be  fired 
perpendicularly  to  the  plane  of  the  horizon,  that  is  to  say,  towards 
the  zenith.  Now  the  moon  does  not  traverse  the  zenith,  except 
in  places  situated  between  0°  and  28'  of  latitude.  It  became, 
then,  necessary  to  determine  exactly  that  spot  on  the  globe  where 
the  immense  Columbiad  should  be  cast. 

On  the  20th  of  October,  at  a  general  meeting  of  the  Gun  Club, 
Barbicane  produced  a  magnificent  map  of  the  United  States. 
"  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  in  opening  the  discussion,  "  I  presume 
that  we  are  all  agreed  that  this  experiment  cannot  and  ought  not 
to  be  tried  anywhere  but  within  the  limits  of  the  soil  of  the 
Union.  Now,  by  good  fortune,  certain  frontiers  of  the  United 
States  extend  downwards  as  far  as  the  28th  parallel  of  the  north 
latitude.  If  you  will  cast  your  eye  over  this  map,  you  will  see 
that  we  have  at  our  disj)osal  the  whole  of  the  southern  portion  of 
Texas  and  Florida." 

It  was  finally  agreed,  then,  that  the  Columbiad  must  be  cast  on 
the  soil  of  either  Texas  or  Florida.  The  result,  however,  of  this 
decision  was  to  create  a  rivalry  entirely  without  precedent 
betAveen  the  different  towns  of  these  two  states. 

The  28th  parallel,  on  reaching  the  American  coast,  traverses 
the  peninsula  of  Florida,  dividing  it  into  two  nearly  equal  por 
iious.     Then,  plunging  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  it  subtends  the 


FLORIDA    AND    TEXAS.  55 

arc  formed  by  the  coast  of  Alabama,  Mississippi,  and  Louisiana  ; 
then  skirting  Texas,  off  which  it  cuts  an  angle,  it  continues  its 
course  over  Mexico,  crosses  the  Sonora,  Old  California,  and  loses 
itself  in  the  Pacific  Ocean.  It  was,  therefore,  only  those 
portions  of  Texas  and  Florida  which  were  situated  below  this 
parallel  which  came  within  the  prescribed  conditions  of  latitude. 

Florida,  in  its  southern  part,  reckons  no  cities  of  importance  ;  it 
is  simply  studded  with  forts  raised  against  the  roving  Indians. 
One  solitary  town,  Tampa  Town,  was  able  to  put  in  a  claim  in 
favour  of  its  situation. 

In  Texas,  on  the  contrary,  the  towns  are  much  more  numerous 
and  important.  Corpus  Christi,  in  the  county  of  Nuaces,  and  all 
the  cities  situated  on  the  Rio  Bravo,  Laredo,  Comalites,  San 
Ignacio  on  the  Web,  Rio  Grande  city  on  the  Starr,  Edinburgh 
in  the  Hidalgo,  Santa  Rita,  Elpanda,  Brownsville  in  the  Cameron, 
formed  an  imposing  league  against  the  pretensions  of  Florida. 
So,  scarcelv  was  the  decision  known,  when  the  Texian  and 
Floridan  deputies  arrived  at  Baltimore  in  an  incredibly  short 
space  of  time.  From  that  very  moment  President  Barbicane  and 
the  influential  members  of  the  Gun  Club  were  besieged  day  and 
night  by  formidable  claims.  If  seven  cities  of  Greece  contended 
for  the  honour  of  having  given  birth  to  Homer,  here  were  two 
entire  states  threatening  to  come  to  blows  about  the  question  of  a 
cannon. 

The  rival  parties  promenaded  the  streets  with  arms  in  their 
hands  ;  and  at  eveiy  occasion  of  their  meeting  a  collision  Avas  to 
be  apprehended  which  might  have  been  attended  with  disastrous 
results.  Happily  the  prudence  and  address  of  President  Barbi- 
cane averted  the  danger.  These  personal  demonstrations  found  a 
division  in  the  newspapers  of  the  different  states.  The  New 
York  Herald  and  the  Tribune  supported  Texas,  while  the  Times 
and  the  American  Review  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Floridan 
Deputies.  The  members  of  the  Gun  Club  could  not  decide  to 
which  to  give  the  preference. 


56  FROM   THE  EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 

Texas  produced  its  array  of  twenty-six  counties  ;  Florida 
replied  that  twelve  counties  were  better  than  twenty-six  in  a 
country  only  one-sixth  part  of  the  size. 

Texas  plumed  itself  upon  its  330,000  natives  ;  Florida  with 
a  far  smaller  territory,  boasted  of  being  much  more  densely 
populated  with  56,000. 

The  Texians,  tb rough  the  columns  of  the  Herald,  claimed  that 
some  regard  should  be  had  to  a  state  which  grew  the  best  cotton 
in  all  America,  produced  the  best  green  oak  for  the  service  of  the 
navy,  and  contained  the  finest  oil,  besides  iron  mines,  in  which  the 
yield  was  50  per  cent,  of  pure  metal. 

To  this  the  American  Review  replied  that  the  soil  of  Florida, 
although  not  equally  rich,  afforded  the  best  conditions  for  the 
moulding  and  casting  of  the  Columbiad,  consisting  as  it  did  of 
sand  and  argillaceous  earth. 

"  That  may  be  all  very  well,"  replied  the  Texians ;  *'  but  you 
must  first  get  to  this  country.  Now  the  communications  with 
Florida  are  difficult,  while  the  coast  of  Texas  offers  the  bay  of 
Galveston,  which  possesses  a  circumference  of  fourteen  leagues, 
and  is  capable  of  containing  the  navies  of  the  entire 
world!" 

"  A  pretty  notion  trulj ,"  replied  the  papers  in  the  interest  of 
Florida,  "that  of  Galveston  Bay,  below  the  29th parallel!  Have 
we  not  got  the  bay  of  Espiritu  Santo,  opening  precisely  upon  the 
28fh  degree,  and  by  which  ships  can  reach  Tampa  Town  by  direct 
route?" 

"  A  fine  bay!  half  choked  with  sand!"  "  Choked  yourselves!" 
returned  the  others. 

Thus  the  war  went  on  for  several  days,  when  Florida  endea- 
voured to  draw  her  adversary  away  on  to  fresh  ground;  and  one 
morning  the  Times  hinted  that,  the  enterprise  being  essentially 
American,  it  ought  not  to  be  attempted  upon  other  than  purely 
American  territory. 

To  these  words  Texas  retorted,  "  American !    are  we  not  as 


I 


IT  BECAME  NECESSARY  TO  KEEP  AN  EYE  UPOir 
THE  DEPUTIES. 


[p.  07.] 


FLORIDA    AND    TEXAS. 


57 


much  so  as  you?  Were  not  Texas  and  Florida  both  incorporated 
into  the  Union  in  1845?" 

"  Undoiibtedly,"  replied  the  Times;  "  but  we  have  belonged  to 
the  Americans  ever  since  1820." 

"Yes!"  returned  the  Tribune;  "after  having- been  Spaniards 
or  English  for  200  years,  you  were  sold  to  the  United  States  foi* 
five  million  dollai's!" 

"  Well !  and  why  need  we  blush  for  that?  Was  not  Louisiana 
bought  from  Napoleon  in  1803  at  the  price  of  sixteen  million 
dollars?" 

"Scandalous!"  roared  the  Texian  deputies.  "A  wretched 
little  strip  of  country  like  Florida  to  dare  to  compare  itself  to 
Texas,  who,  in  place  of  selling  herself,  asserted  her  own  inde- 
pendence, drove  out  the  Mexicans  in  March  2,  1836,  and  declared 
herself  a  federal  republic  after  the  victory  gained  by  Samuel 
Houston,  on  the  banks  of  the  San  Jacinto,  over  the  troops  of 
Santa  Anna  ! — a  country,  in  fine,  which  voluntarily  annexed  itself 
to  the  United  States  of  America ! " 

"  Yes ;  because  it  was  afraid  of  the  Mexicans  !"  replied  Florida. 

"Afraid!"  From  this  moment  the  state  of  things  became 
intolerable.  A  sanguinary  encounter  seemed  daily  imminent 
hetween  the  two  parties  in  the  streets  of  Baltimore.  It  became 
necessary  to  keep  an  eye  upon  the  deputies. 

President  Barbicane  knew  not  which  way  to  look.  Notes, 
documents,  letters  full  of  menaces  showered  down  upon  his  house. 
Which  side  ought  he  to  take?  As  regarded  the  appropriation  of 
the  soil,  the  facility  of  communication,  the  rapidity  of  transport, 
the  claims  of  both  states  were  evenly  balanced.  As  for  political 
prepossessions,  they  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  question. 

This  dead  block  had  existed  for  some  little  time,  when  Bar- 
bicane resolved  to  get  rid  of  it  at  once.  He  called  a  meeting  of 
his  colleagues,  and  laid  before  them  a  proposition  which,  il  will 
be  seen,  was  profoundly  sagacious. 

"  On  carefully  considering,"  he  said,  «  what  is  going  on  now 


58 


FROM   THE   EARTH    TO    THE  MOON: 


between  Florida  and  Texas,  it  is  clear  that  the  same  difficulties 
will  recur  with  all  the  towns  of  the  favoured  state.  The  rivaliy 
will  descend  from  state  to  city,  and  so  on  downwards.  Now 
Texas  possesses  eleven  towns  within  the  prescribed  conditions, 
which  will  further  dispute  the  honour  and  create  us  new  enemies, 
while  Florida  has  only  one.  I  go  in,  therefore,  for  Florida  and 
Tampa  Town." 

This  decision,  on  being  made  known,  utterly  crushed  the 
Texian  deputies.  Seized  with  an  indescribable  fury,  they  ad- 
dressed threatening  letters  to  the  different  members  of  the  Gun 
Club  by  name.  The  magistrates  had  but  one  course  to  take,  and 
they  took  it.  They  chartered  a  special  train,  forced  the  Texians 
into  it  whether  they  would  or  no ;  and  they  quitted  the  city  with 
a  speed  of  thirty  miles  an  hour. 

Quickly,  however,  as  they  were  despatched,  they  found  time 
to  hurl  one  last  and  bitter  sarcasm  at  their  adversaries. 

Alluding  to  the  extent  of  Florida,  a  mere  peninsula  confined 
between  two  seas,  they  pretended  that  it  could  never  sustain  the 
shock  of  the  discharge,  and  that  it  would  "  bust  up  "  at  the  very 
first  shot. 

"Very  well,  let  it  bust  up!"  replied  the  Floridans,  with  a 
brevity  worthy  of  the  days  of  ancient  Sparta. 


VRBI   ET   ORBI.  59 


CHAPTER  XII. 

URBI   ET   ORBI. 

The  astronomical,  mechanical,  and  topograpliical  difficulties  re- 
solved, finally  came  the  question  of  finance.  The  sum  required 
was  far  too  great  for  any  individual,  or  even  any  single  state,  to 
provide  the.  requisite  millions. 

President  Barhicane  undertook,  despite  of  the  matter  being  a 
purely  American  affair,  to  render  it  one  of  universal  interest,  and 
to  request  the  financial  co-operation  of  all  peoples.  It  was,  he 
maintained,  the  right  and  the  duty  of  the  whole  earth  to  interfere 
in  the  affairs  of  its  satellite.  The  subscription  opened  at  Balti- 
more extended  properly  to  the  whole  world — JJrhi  et  orU. 

This  subscription  was  successful  beyond  all  expectation;  not- 
withstanding that  it  was  a  question  not  of  lending  but  of  giving 
the  money.  It  was  a  purely  disinterested  operation  in  the 
strictest  sense  of  the  term,  and  offered  not  the  slightest  chance 
of  profit. 

The  effect,  however,  of  Barbicane's  communication  was  not  con- 
fined to  the  frontiers  of  the  United  States;  it  crossed  the  Atlantic 
and  Pacific,  invading  simultaneously  Asia  and  Europe,  Africa  and 
Oceania.  The  observatories  of  the  Union  placed  themselves  in 
immediate  communication  with  those  of  foreign  countries.  Some, 
such  as  those  of  Paris,  Petersburg,  Berlin,  Stockholm,  Hamburg, 
Malta,  Lisbon,  Benares,  Madras,  and  others,  transmitted  their 
good  wishes;  the  rest  maintained  a  prudent  silence,  quietly 
awaiting  the  result.  As  for  the  observatory  at  Greenwich, 
seconded  as  it  was  by  the  twenty-two  astronomical  establishments 


6o 


FROM   THE  EARTH    TO    THE  MOON". 


of  Great  Britain,  it  spoke  plainly  enough.      It  boldly  denied  thej 
possibility  of  success,  and  pronounced  in  favour  of  the  theories  of 
Captain  Nicholl.     But  this  was  nothing  more  than  mere  Englishi 
jealousy. 

On  the  8th  of  October  President  Barbicane  published  a  mani- 
festo full  of  enthusiasm,  in  which  he  made  an  appeal  to  "  all  per-J 
sons  of  good  will  upon  the  face  of  the  earth."      This  document,] 
translated  into  all  languages,  met  with  immense  success. 

Subscription  lists  were  opened  in  all  the  principal  cities  of  the] 
Union,  with  a  central  office  at  the  Baltimore  Bank,  9,  Baltimore] 
Street. 

In   addition,    subscriptions   were   received    at    the   following] 
banks  in  the  different  states  of  the  two  continents: — 
At  Vienna,  with  S.  M.  de  Rothschild. 

„  Petersburg,  Stieglitz  and  Co. 

„  Paris,-  The  Credit  Mobiliei-. 

„  Stockholm,  Tottie  and  Arfuredson. 

„  London,  N.  M.  Rothschild  and  Son. 

„  Turin,  Ardouin  and  Co. 

„  Berlin,  Mendelssohn. 

„  Geneva,  Lombard,  Odier,  and  Co. 

„  Constantiuople,  The  Ottoman  Bank. 

„  Brussels,  J.  Lambert. 

„  Madrid,  Daniel  Weisweller. 

„  Amsterdam,  Netherlands  Credit  Co. 

„  Rome,  Torlonia  and  Co. 

„  Lisbon,  Lecesne. 

„  Copenhagen,  Private  Bank. 

„  Rio  Janeiro,  do. 

„  Monte  Video,  do. 

„  Valparaiso  and  Lima,  Thomas  la  Chambre  and  Co. 

„  Mexico,  Martin  Darau  and  Co. 
Three  days  after  the  manifesto  of  President  Barbicane  4,000,000 1 
of  dollars  were  paid  into  the  different  towns  of  the  Union.     With 


THE  SUBSCRIPTION  WAS  OPENED. 


[p.  CO.] 


^ 


URBr  ET   ORBI.  6 1 


such  a  balance  the  Gun  Club  might  begin  operations  at  onco. 
But  some  days  later  advices  wei'e  received  to  the  effect  that  the 
foreign  subscriptions  were  being  eagerly  taken  up.  Ccrtuiix 
countries  distinguished  themselves  by  their  liberality;  others 
untied  their  purse-strings  with  less  facility — matter  of  tempera- 
ment. Figures  are,  however,  more  eloquent  than  words,  and 
here  is  the  official  statement  of  the  sums  which  were  paid  in  to 
the  credit  of  the  Gun  Club  at  the  close  of  the  subscription. 

Russia  paid  in  as  her  contingent  the  enormous  sum  of  368,733 
roubles.  No  one  need  be  surprised  at  this,  Avho  bears  in  mind 
the  scientific  taste  of  the  Russians,  and  the  impetus  which  they 
have  given  to  astronomical  studies — thanks  to  their  numerous 
observatories. 

France  began  by  deriding  the  pretensions  of  the  Americans. 
The  moon  served  as  a  pretext  for  a  thousand  stale  puns  and  a 
score  of  ballads,  in  which  bad  taste  contested  the  palm  with 
ignorance.  But  as  formerly  the  French  paid  before  singing,  so 
now  they  paid  after  having  had  their  laugh,  and  they  subscribed 
for  a  sum  of  1,253,930  francs.  At  that  price  they  had  a  right  to 
enjoy  themselves  a  little. 

Austria  showed  herself  generous  in  the  midst  of  her  financial 
crisis.  Her  public  contributions  amounted  to  the  sum  of  216,000 
florins — a  perfect  godsend. 

52,000  rix-dollars  were  the  remittance  of  Sweden  and  Norway; 
the  amount  is  large  for  the  country,  but  it  would  undoubtedly 
have  been  considerably  increased  had  the  subscription  been  opened 
in  Christiania  simultaneously  with  that  at  Stockholm.  For  somo 
reason  or  other  the  Norwegians  do  not  like  to  send  their  money 

to  Sweden. 

Prussia,  by  a  remittance  of  250,000  thalers,  testified  her  high 

approval  of  the  enterprise. 

Turkey  behaved  generously;  but  she  had  a  personal  interest  in 
the  matter.  The  moon,  in  fact,  regulates  the  cycle  of  her  years 
and  her   fast   of  Ramadan.     She   could  not  do  less  than  give 


62 


FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON"-. 


1,372,640  piastres  ;  and  she  gave  them  with  an  eagerness 
which  denoted,  however,  some  pressure  on  the  part  of  the 
Government. 

Belgium  distinguished  herself  among  the  second-rate  states 
by  a  grant  of  513,000  francs — about  two  centimes  per  head  of 
her  population. 

Holland  and  her  colonies  interested  themselves  to  the  extent  of 
110,000  florins,  only  demanding  an  allowance  of  five  per  cent, 
discount  for  paying  ready  money. 

Denmark,  a  little  contracted  in  territory,  gave  nevertheless 
9000  ducats,  proving  her  love  for  scientific  experiments. 

The  Germanic  Confederation  pledged  itself  to  34,285  florins. 
It  was  impossible  to  ask  for  more  j  besides,  they  would  not  have 
given  it. 

Though  very  much  crippled,  Italy  found  200,000  lire  in  the 
pockets  of  her  people.  If  she  had  had  Venetia  she  would  have 
done  better;  but  she  had  not. 

The  States  of  the  Church  thought  that  they  could  not  send 
less  than  7040  Roman  crowns;  and  Portugal  carried  her  devotion 
to  science  as  far  as  30,000  cruzados.  It  was  the  widow's  mite — 
eighty-six  piastres;  but  self-constituted  empires  are  always  rather 
short  of  money. 

257  francs,  this  was  the  modest  contribution  of  Switzerland  to 
the  American  work.  One  must  freely  admit  that  she  did  not  see 
the  practical  side  of  the  matter.  It  did  not  seem  to  her  that  the 
mere  despatch  of  a  shot  to  the  moon  could  possibly  establish  any 
relation  of  aflfairs  with  her;  and  it  did  not  seem  prudent  to  her  to 
embark  her  capital  in  so  hazardous  an  enterprise.  After  all, 
perhaps  she  was  right. 

As  to  Spain,  she  could  not  scrape  together  more  than  110  reals. 
She  gave  as  an  excuse  that  she  had  her  railways  to  finish.  The 
truth  is,  that  science  is  not  favourably  regarded  in  that  country,  it 
is  still  in  a  backward  state;  and,  moreover,  certain  Spaniards,  not 
by  any  means  the  least  educated,  did  not  form  a  correct  estimate 


THE  MANUFACTORY  AT  COLDSPRING,  NEAR  NEW  YORK. 


[p.  63.] 


VRBl  ET  ORBI. 


63 


of  the  bulk  of  the  projectile   compared  with  that  of  the  moon. 
They  feared  that  it  woukl  disturb  the  established  order  of  thiiif^s 
la  that  case  it  were  better  to  keep  aloof ;  which  they  did  to  the 
tune  of  some  reals. 

There  remained  but  England;  and  we  know  the  contemptuous 
antipathy  with  which  she  received  Bai-bicane's  proposition.  The 
English  have  but  one  soul  for  the  whole  twenty-six  millions  of 
inhabitants  which  Great  Britain  contains.  They  hinted  that  the 
enterprise  of  the  Gun  Club  was  contrary  to  the  "  principle  of  non- 
intervention."    And  they  did  not  subscribe  a  single  farthing. 

At  this  intimation  the  Gun  Club  merely  shrugged  its  shoulders 
and  returned  to  its  great  work.  When  South  America,  that  is  to 
say,  Peru,  Chili,  Brazil,  the  provinces  of  La  Plata  and  Colnmbia, 
had  poured  forth  their  quota  into  their  hands,  the  sum  of  300,000 
dollars,  it  found  itself  in  possession  of  a  considerable  capital,  of 
which  the  following  is  a  statement  : — 

United  States  subscriptions     .         .     4,000,000  dollars. 
Foreign  subscriptions      ,         .         .     1,446,675       „ 


Total    ....     5,446,675       „ 

Such  was  the  sum  which  the  public  poured  into  the  treasury 
of  the  Gun  Club. 

Let  no  one  be  surprised  at  the  vastness  of  the  amount.  The 
work  of  casting,  boring,  masonry,  the  transport  of  workmen, 
their  establishment  in  an  almost  uninhabited  country,  the  con- 
struction of  furnaces  and  workshops,  the  plant,  the  powder,  the 
projectile,  and  incidental  expenses,  would,  according  to  the  esti- 
mates, absorb  nearly  the  whole.  Certain  cannon  shots  in  the 
Federal  war  cost  1000  dollars  a-piece.  This  one  of  Piesident 
Barbicane,  unique  in  the  annals  of  gunnery,  might  well  cost  five 
thousand  times  more. 

On  the  20th  of  October  a  contract  was  entered  into  with  the 
manufactory  at  Coldspring,  near  New  York,  which  during  the 
war  had  furnished   the  largest  Parrott  cast-iron  guns.     It  was 


64  FROM   THE   EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 

stipulated  between  the  contracting  parties  that  the  manufactory  of 
Coldspriug  should  engage  to  transport  to  Tampa  Town,  in  southern 
Florida,  the  necessary  materials  for  casting  the  Columbiad.  The 
work  Avas  bound  to  be  completed  at  latest  by  the  15th  of  October 
following,  and  the  cannon  delivered  in  good  condition  under 
penalty  of  a  forfeit  of  100  dollars  a  day  to  the  moment  when 
the  moon  should  again  present  herself  under  the  same  conditions — 
that  is  to  say,  in  eighteen  years  and  eleven  days. 

The  engagement  of  the  workmen,  their  pay,  and  all  the 
necessary  details  of  the  work,  devolved  upon  the  Goldspring 
Company. 

This  contract,  executed  in  duplicate,  was  signed  by  Barbicane, 
President  of  the  Gun  Club,  of  the  one  part,  and  T.  Murphison, 
director  of  the  Coldspring  manufactory,  of  the  other,  who  thus 
executed  the  deed  on  behalf  of  theii'  respective  principals. 


STONES  HILL. 


6? 


CHAPTER  Xin. 

STONES  HILL, 

"\V"hen  the  decision  was  arrived  at  by  the  Gun  Chib,  to  the  dis- 
paragement of  Texas,  every  one  in  America,  where  reading  is  an 
universal  acquirement,  set  to  work  to  study  the  geography  of 
Florida.  Never  before  had  there  been  such  a  sale  for  works  like 
Bertram^ s  Travels  in  Florida,  Romanes  Natural  History  of  East  and 
West  Florida,  William's  Territory  of  Florida,  and  Cldand  on  the 
Cultivation  of  the  Sugar- Cane  in  Florida.  It  became  necessary  to 
issue  fresh  editions  of  these  works. 

Bai'bicane  had  something  better  to  do  than  to  read.  He  desired 
to  see  things  with  his  own  eyes,  and  to  mark  the  exact  position 
of  the  proposed  gun.  So,  without  a  moment's  loss  of  time,  he 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Cambridge  Observatory  the  funds 
necessary  for  the  construction  of  a  telescope,  and  entered  into 
negotiations  with  the  house  of  Breadwill  and  Co.,  of  Albany,  for 
the  construction  of  an  aluminium  projectile  of  the  required  size. 
He  then  quitted  Baltimore,  accompanied  by  J.  T.  Maston,  Major 
Elphinstone,  and  the  manager  of  the  Coldspring  Factory. 

On  the  folloAving  day,  the  four  fellow-travellers  arrived  at  New 
Orleans.  There  they  immediately  embarked  on  board  the  "  Tam- 
pico,"  a  despatch-boat  belonging  to  the  Federal  navy,  which  the 
Government  had  placed  at  their  disposal  ;  and,  getting  up  steam, 
the  banks  of  the  Louisiana  speedily  disappeared  from  sight. 

The  passage  was  not  long.  Two  days  after  starting,  the 
"  Tampico,"  having  made  four  hundred  and  eighty  miles,  came  in 
sight  of  the  coast  of  Florida.     On  a'  nearer  approach  Barbicaue 

F 


66  FROM   THE  EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 


barre™ 


found  himself  in  view  of  a  low,  flat  couutiy  of  somewhat  barre 
aspect.  After  coasting  along  a  series  of  creeks  abounding  in 
lobsters  and  oysters,  the  "  Tampico  "  entered  the  bay  of  Espiritu 
Santo,  where  she  finally  anchored  in  a  small  natural  hai'bour, 
formed  by  the  embouchure  of  the  River  Hillisborough,  at  seven 
p.m.,  on  the  22nd  October. 

Our  four  passengers  disembarked  at  once.  "  Gentlemen,"  said 
Barbicane,  "  we  have  no  time  to  lose  ;  to-morrow  we  must  obtain 
horses,  and  proceed  to  reconnoitre  the  country." 

Bai-bicane  had  scarcely  set  his  foot  on  shore  when  three  tliousand 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Tampa  Town  came  forth  to  meet  him,  an 
honour  due  to  the  president  who  had  signalized  their  country  by 
his  choice. 

Declining,  however,  every  kind  of  ovation,  Barbicane  ensconced 
himself  in  a  room  of  the  Franklin  Hotel. 

On  the  morrow  some  of  those  small  horses  of  the  Spanish  breed, 
full  of  vigour  and  of  fire,  stood  snorting  under  his  windows  ; 
but  instead  of  four  steeds,  here  were  fifty,  together  with  their 
riders.  Barbicane  descended  with  his  three  fellow-travellers  ; 
and  much  astonished  were  they  all  to  find  themselves  in  the 
midst  of  such  a  cavalcade.  He  remarked  that  every  horseman 
carried  a  carbine  slung  across  his  shoulders  and  pistols  in  his 
holsters. 

On  expressing  his  surprise  at  these  preparations,  he  was  speedily 
enlightened  by  a  young  Floridan,  who  quietly  said, — 

"  Sir,  there  ai'e  Seminoles  there." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  Seminoles?  " 

"  Savages  who  scour  the  prairies.  We  thought  it  best,  there- 
fore, to  escort  you  on  your  road." 

"  Pooh  !  "  cried  J.  T.  Maston,  mounting  his  steed. 

"  All  right,"  said  the  Floridan ;  "  but  it  is  true  enough,  never- 
theless." 

"  Gentlemen,"  answered  Barbicane,  "  I  thank  you  for  your  kind 
attention  ;  but  it  is  time  to  be  off*." 


TAMPA  TOWN  PREVIOUS  TO  THE  UNDERTAKTNG. 


[p.  G6.1 


STO^TES  HILL.  67 


It  was  five  a.m.  when  Barbicane  and  his  party,  quitting  Tampa 
Town,  made  their  way  along  the  coast  in  the  direction  of  Alifia 
Creek.  This  little  river  falls  into  Hillisborough  Bay  twelve  miles 
above  Tampa  Town.  Bai'bicane  and  his  escort  coasted  along  its 
right  bank  to  the  eastward.  Soon  the  waves  of  the  bay  dis- 
appeared behind  a  bend  of  rising  ground,  and  the  Floridan 
"  champagne  "  alone  offered  itself  to  view. 

Florida,  discovered  on  Palm  Sunday,  in  1512,  by  Juan  Ponce 
de  Leon,  was  originally  named  Pascha  Florida.  It  little  deserved 
that  designation  with  its  dry  and  parched  coasts.  But  after  some 
few  miles  of  tract  the  nature  of  the  soil  gradually  changes  and 
the  country  shows  itself  worthy  of  the  name.  Cultivated  plains 
soon  appear,  where  are  united  all  the  productions  of  the  northern 
and  tropical  floras,  terminating  in  pi'airies  abounding  with  pine- 
apples and  yams,  tobacco,  rice,  cotton-plants,  and  sugar-canes, 
which  extend  beyond  reach  of  sight,  flinging  their  riches  broad- 
cast with  careless  prodigality. 

Barbicane  appeared  highly  pleased  on  observing  the  progressive 
elevation  of  the  land  ;  and  in  answer  to  a  question  of  J.  T.  Maston, 
replied, — 

"  My  worthy  friend,  we  cannot  do  better  than  sink  our  Colum- 
biad  in  these  high  grounds." 

"  To  get  nearer  to  the  moon,  perhaps  ?  "  said  the  secretary  of 
the  Gun  Club. 

"  Not  exactly,"  replied  Barbicane,  smiling  ;  "  do  you  not  see 
that  amongst  these  elevated  plateaus  we  shall  have  a  much  easier 
work  of  it  ?  No  struggles  with  the  water-springs,  Avhich  will 
save  us  long  and  expensive  tubings  ;  and  we  shall  be  working  in 
daylight  instead  of  down  a  deep  and  narrow  well.  Our  business, 
then,  is  to  open  our  trenches  upon  ground  some  hundreds  of  yards 
above  the  level  of  the  sea." 

"  You  are  right,  sir,"  struck  in  Murchisou,  the  engineer  ; 
"  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  we  shall  ere  long  find  a  suitable  spot  for 

our  purpose." 

F  2 


68  FR03f    THE  EARTH   TO    THE  MOON". 


H 


I 


"  I  wish  Ave  Avere  at  the  first  stroke  of  the  pickaxe,"  said  the 
president. 

"  And  I  wish  we  were  at  the  last,""  cried  J.  T.  Maston. 

About  ten  a.m.  the  little  band  had  ci"ossed  a  dozen  miles.  To 
fertile  plains  succeeded  a  region  of  forests.  There  perfumes  of 
the  most  A^aried  kinds  mingled  together  in  tropical  profusion.  These 
almost  impenetrable  forests  were  composed  of  pomegranates, 
orange-trees,  citrons,  figs,  olives,  apricots,  bananas,  huge  vines, 
Avhose  blossoms  and  fruits  rivalled  each  other  in  colour  and  per-| 
fume.  Beneath  the  odorous  shade  of  these  magnificent  trees 
fi uttered  and  Avarbled  a  little  world  of  brilliantly  plumaged  birds. 

J.  T.  Maston  and  the  major  could  not  repress  their  admiration;^ 
on  finding  themselves  in  presence  of  the  glorious  beauties  of  this 
Avealth  of  nature.  President  Barbicane,  hoAvever,  less  sensitive 
to  these  Avonders,  was  in  haste  to  press  forward  ;  the  very 
luxuriance  of  the  country  Avas  displeasing  to  him.  They  hastened 
onwards,  therefore,  and  Avere  compelled  to  ford  several  rivers,  not 
without  danger,  for  they  were  infested  with  huge  alligators  from 
fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  long.  Maston  courageously  menaced  them 
Avith  his  steel  hook,  but  he  only  succeeded  in  frightening  some 
pelicans  and  teal,  Avhile  tall  flamingos  stared  stupidly  at  the 
party. 

At  length  these  denizens  of  the  swamps  disappeared  in  theii- 
turn  ;  smaller  trees  became  thinly  scattered  among  less  dense 
thickets — a  few  isolated  groups  detached  the  in  midst  of  endless 
plains  over  which  ranged  herds  of  startled  deer. 

"At  last,"  cried  Barbicane,  rising  in  his  stirrups,  "  here  we  are 
at  the  region  of  pines  !  " 

"  Yes  !  and  of  savages  too,"  replied  the  major. 

In  fact,  some  Semiuoles  had  just  come  in  sight  upon  the  horizon; 
they  rode  violently  backAvards  and  forAvards  on  their  fleet  horses, 
brandishing  their  spears  or  discharging  their  guns  with  a  dull 
report.  These  hostile  demonstrations,  however,  had  no  effect  upon 
Barbicane  and  his  companions. 


THEY  WERE  COMPELLED  TO  FORD  SEVERAL  RIVERS. 


[p.  C3.1 


STO:^ES  HILL.  69 


They  were  then  occupying  the  centre  of  a  rocky  plain,  which 
the  sun  scorched  with  its  parching  rays.  This  was  fornicil  by  a 
considci'able  elevation  of  the  soil,  which  seemed  to  ofler  to  tho 
members  of  the  Gun  Club  all  the  conditions  requisite  for  tho 
construction  of  their  Columbiad. 

"  Halt  !  "  said  Barbicane,  reining  up.  "  Has  this  place  any  local 
appellation  ?  " 

"  It  is  called  Stones  Hill,"  replied  one  of  the  Floridans. 

Barbicane,  without  saying  a  word,  dismounted,  seized  his  instru- 
ments, and  began  to  note  his  position  with  extreme  exactness. 
The  little  band,  drawn  up  in  rear,  watched  his  proceedings  in  pro- 
found silence. 

At  this  moment  the  sun  passed  the  meridian.  Barbicane,  after 
a  few  moments,  rapidly  wrote  down  the  result  of  his  observations, 
and  said, — 

"  This  spot  is  situated  1800  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  in 
27°  7'  N.  lat.  and  5°  7'  W.  long,  of  the  meridian  of  Washington. 
It  appears  to  me  by  its  rocky  and  barren  character  to  offer  all  the 
conditions  requisite  for  our  experiment.  On  that  plain  will  bo 
raised  our  magazines,  workshops,  furnaces,  and  workmen's  huts  ; 
and  here,  from  this  very  spot,"  said  he,  stamping  his  foot  on  tho 
summit  of  Stones  Hill,  "  hence  shall  our  projectile  take  its  flight 
into  the  regions  of  the  Solar  World." 


70  FROM    THE    EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PICKAXE    AND    TROWEL. 

The  same  evening  Barbicane  and  his  companions  returned  to 
Tampa  Town  ;  and  ^lurcliison,  the  engineer,  re-embarked  on 
boai'd  the  "  Tampico  "  for  New  Orleans.  His  object  was  to  enlist 
an  army  of  workmen,  and  to  collect  together  the  greater  part  of 
the  materials.  The  members  of  the  Gun  Club  remained  at 
Tampa  Town,  for  the  purpose  of  setting  on  foot  the  preliminary- 
works  by  the  aid  of  the  people  of  the  country. 

Eight  days  after  its  departure,  the  "  Tampico "  returned  into 
the  bay  of  Espiritu  Santo,  with  a  whole  flotilla  of  steamboats. 
Murchison  hc-d  succeeded  in  assembling  together  fifteen  hundred 
artisans.  Attracted  by  the  high  pay  and  considerable  bounties 
offered  by  the  Gun  Club,  he  had  enlisted  a  choice  legion  of 
stokers,  iron-founders,  lime-burners,  miners,  brickmakers,  and 
artisans  of  every  trade,  without  distinction  of  colour.  As  many 
of  these  people  brought  their  families  with  them,  their  departure 
resembled  a  perfect  emigration. 

On  the  31st  October,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  troop 
disembarked  on  the  quays  of  Tampa  Town  ;  and  one  may  imagine 
the  activity  which  pervaded  that  little  town,  whose  population 
was  thus  doubled  in  a  single  day. 

During  the  first  few  days  they  were  busy  discharging  the 
cargo  brought  by  the  flotilla,  the  machines,  and  the  rations,  as 
well  as  a  large  number  of  huts  constructed  of  iron  plates, 
separately  pieced  and  numbered.  At  the  same  period  Barbicane 
laid  the  first  sleepers  of  a  railway  fifteen  miles  in  length,  intended 


PICKAXE   AND    TROWEL.  Jl 

to  unite  Stones  Hill  with  Tampa  Town.  On  the  first  of  Novem- 
ber Barbicaue  quitted  Tampa  Town  with  a  detachment  of  work- 
men; and  on  the  following  day  the  whole  town  of  huts  was  erected 
round  Stones  Hill.  This  they  enclosed  with  palisades;  and  iu 
respect  of  energy  and  activity,  it  might  have  shortly  been  mis- 
taken for  one  of  the  great  cities  of  the  Union.  Everything  was 
placed  under  a  complete  system  of  dicipline,  and  the  works  were 
commenced  in  most  perfect  order. 

The  nature  of  the  soil  having  been  carefully  examined,  by 
means  of  repeated  borings,  the  work  of  excavation  was  fixed  for 
the  4th  of  November. 

On  that  day  Barbicane  called  together  his  foremen  and  addressed 
them    as    follows  :— "  You    are  well   aware,  my  friends,    of  the 
object  with  which  I  have  assembled  you  together  in  this  wild 
part  of  Florida.    Our  business  is  to  construct  a  cannon  measuring 
nine  feet  in  its  interior  diameter,  six  feet  thick,  and  with  a  stone 
revetment  of  nineteen  and  a  half  feet  in  thickness.     We  have, 
therefore,  a  well  of  sixty  feet  in  diameter  to  dig  down  to  a  depth 
of  nine   hundred    feet.     This    great   work   must   be   completed 
ivithin  eight  months,  so  that  you   have  2,543,400   cubic   feet   of 
earth  to  excavate  in  255  days  ;  that  is  to  say,  in  round  numbers, 
2000  cubic  feet  per  day.     That  which  would  present  no  difficulty 
to  a  thousand  navvies  working  in  open  country  will  be  of  course 
more  troublesome  in  a  comparatively  confined  space.     However, 
the  thing  must  be  done,  and  I  reckon  for  its  accomplishment  upon 
your  courage  as  much  as  upon  your  skiU. 

At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  first  stroke  of  the  pickaxe 
was  struck  upon  the  soil  of  Florida  ;  and  from  that  momenl 
that  prince  of  tools  was  never  inactive  for  one  moment  in  the 
hands  of  the  excavators.     The  gangs  relieved  each  other  every 

three  hours. 

On  the  4th  of  November  fifty  workmen  commenced  digging, 
in  the  very  centre  of  the  enclosed  space  on  the  summit  of  Stones 
Hill,  a  circular  hole  sixty  feet  in   diameter.     The  pickaxe  first 


72  FROM   THE  EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

Struck  upon  a  kind  of  black  earth,  six  inches  in  thickness,  which 
was  speedily  disposed  of.  To  this  earth  succeeded  two  feet  of 
fine  sand,  which  was  carefully  laid  aside  as  being  valuable  for 
serving  for  the  casting  of  the  inner  mould.  After  the  sand 
appeared  some  compact  white  clay,  resembling  the  chalk  of  Great 
Britain,  which  extended  down  to  a  depth  of  four  feet.  Then  the 
iron  of  the  picks  struck  upon  the  hard  bed  of  the  soil ;  a  kind  of 
rock  formed  of  petrified  shells,  very  dry,  very  solid,  and  which 
the  picks  could  with  difficulty  penetrate.  At  this  point  the 
excavation  exhibited  a  depth  of  six  feet  and  a  half,  and  the  work 
of  the  masonry  was  begun. 

At  the  bottom  of  this  excavation  they  constructed  a  wheel  of 
oak,  a  kind  of  circle  strongly  bolted  together,  and  of  immense 
strength.  The  centre  of  this  wooden  disc  was  hollowed  out  to  a 
diameter  equal  to  the  exterior  diameter  of  the  Columbiad.  Upon 
this  wheel  rested  the  first  layers  of  the  masonry,  the  stones  of 
which  were  bound  together  by  hydraulic  cement,  with  irresis- 
tible tenacity.  The  workmen,  after  laying  the  stones  from  the 
circumference  to  the  centre,  were  thus  enclosed  within  a  kind  of 
well  twenty-one  feet  in  diameter.  When  this  work  was  accom- 
plished, the  miners  resumed  their  picks  and  cut  away  the  rock 
from  underneath  the  wheel  itself,  taking  care  to  support  it  as 
they  advanced  upon  blocks  of  great  thickness.  At  every  two 
feet  which  the  hole  gained  in  depth  they  successively  withdrew 
the- blocks.  The  wheel  then  sank  little  by  little,  and  with  it 
the  massive  ring  of  masonry,  on  the  upper  bed  of  which  the 
masons  laboured  incessantly,  always  reserving  some  vent  holes  to 
permit  the  escape  of  gas  during  the  operation  of  casting. 

This  kind  of  work  required  on  the  part  of  the  workmen 
extreme  nicety  and  minute  attention.  More  than  one,  in  dio^o-iuo- 
underneath  the  wheel,  was  dangerously  injured  by  the  splinters  of 
stone.  But  their  ardour  never  relaxed,  night  or  day.  By  day 
they  worked  under  the  rays  of  the  scorching  sun;  by  night, 
under  the  gleam  of  the  electric  light.     The  sounds  of  the  picks 


THE  WOniC  PROGRESSED  REGULARLY. 


[P-  73.] 


J 


PICKAXE  AND    TROWEL.  73 

against  the  rock,  the  bursting  of  mines,  the  grinding  of  tho 
machines,  the  wreaths  of  smoke  scattei'ed  through  the  air,  tracoil 
around  Stones  Hill  a  circle  of  terror  which  the  herds  of  buffaloes 
and  the  war  parties  of  the  Seminolcs  never  ventured  to  pass. 
Nevertheless,  the  works  advanced  regularly,  as  the  steam-cranes 
actively  removed  the  rubbish.  Of  unexpected  obstacles  there  was 
little  account ;  and  with  regard  to  foreseen  difliculties,  they  were 
speedily  disposed  of. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  first  month  the  well  had  attained  the 
depth  assigned  for  that  lapse  of  time,  viz.  112  feet.  This  depth 
was  doubled  in  December,  and  trebled  in  January. 

During  the  month  of  February  the  workmen  had  to  contend 
with  a  sheet  of  water  which  made  its  way  right  across  the  outer 
soil.  It  became  necessary  to  employ  very  powerful  pumps  and 
compressed  air-engines  to  drain  it  off,  so  as  to  close  up  the  orifice 
from  whence  it  issued  ;  just  as  one  stops  a  leak  on  board  ship. 
They  at  last  succeeded  in  getting  the  upper  hand  of  these 
untoward  streams  ;  only,  in  consequence  of  the  loosening  of  the 
soil,  the  wheel  partly  gave  way,  and  a  slight  partial  settlement 
ensued.     This  accident  cost  the  life  of  several  workmen. 

No  fresh  occurrence  thenceforward  arrested  the  progress  of  the 
operation;  and  on  the  10th  of  June,  twenty  days  before  the 
expiration  of-  the  period  fixed  by  Baibicane,  the  well,  lined 
throughout  with  its  facing  of  stone,  had  attained  the  depth  of  900 
feet.  At  the  bottom  the  masonry  rested  upon  a  massive  block 
measuring  thirty  feet  iu  thickness,  whilst  on  the  upper  portion  it 
Avas  level  with  the  surrounding  soil. 

President  Barbicane  and  the  members  of  the  Gun  Club  warmly 
congratulated  their  engineer  Murchison  :  the  cyclopean  work  had 
been  accomplished  with  extraordinary  rapidity. 

During  these  eight  months  Barbicane  never  quitted  Stones  Hill 
for  a  single  instant.  Keeping  ever  close  by  the  work  of  excava- 
tion, he  busied  himself  incessantly  with  the  welfare  and  health  of 
his  workpeople,  and  was  singularly   fortunate  in  warding  oil' tbo 


74  FROM    THE  EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 

epidemics  common  to  large  communities  of  men,  and  so  disastrous 
in  those  regions  of  the  globe  which  are  exposed  to  the  influences 
of  tropical  climates. 

Many  workmen,  it  is  true,  paid  with  their  lives  for  the  rashness 
inherent  in  these  dangerous  labours  ;  but  these  mishaps  are 
impossible  to  be  avoided,  and  they  are  classed  amongst  details  with 
which  the  Americans  trouble  themselves  but  little.  They  have 
in  fact  more  regard  for  human  natui'e  in  general  than  for  the 
mdividual  in  particular. 

Nevertheless,  Barbicane  professed  opposite  principles  to  these, 
and  put  them  in  force  at  every  opportunity.  So,  thanks  to  his 
care,  his  intelligence,  his  useful  intervention  in  all  difficulties,  his 
prodigious  and  humane  sagacity,  the  average  of  accidents  did  not 
exceed  that  of  transatlantic  countries,  noted  for  their  excessive 
precautions,  France,  for  instance,  among  others,  where  they  reckon 
about  one  accident  for  every  tAvo  hundred  thousand  francs  of 
work. 


THE   FETE   OF   THE   CASTING. 


75 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    FETE    OF    THE    CASTING. 

During  the  eight  months  which  were  employed  in  the  work  of 
excavation  the  preparatory  works  of  the  casting  had  been  carried 
on  simultaneously  with  extreme  rapidity.  A  stranger  arriving  at 
Stones  Hill  would  have  been  surprised  at  the  spectacle  offered  to 
his  view. 

At  600  yards  from  the  well,  and  circularly  arranged  around  it 
as  a  central  point,  rose  1200  reverberating  ovens,  each  six  feet  in 
diameter,  and  separated  from  each  other  by  an  interval  of  three 
feet.  The  circumference  occupied  by  these  1200  ovens  presented 
a  length  of  two  miles.  Being  all  constructed  on  the  same  plan, 
each  Avith  its  high  quadrangular  chimney,  they  produced  a  most 
singular  effect. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  on  their  third  meeting  the  Com- 
mittee had  decided  to  use  cast-iron  for  the  Columbiad,  and  in 
particular  the  lohite  description.  This  metal  in  fact  is  the  most 
tenacious,  the  m.ost  ductile,  and  the  most  malleable,  and  conse- 
quently suitable  for  all  moulding  operations  ;  and  when  smelted 
with  pit  coal,  is  of  superior  quality  for  all  engineering  works 
requiring  gi'eat  resisting  power,  such  as  cannon,  steam-boiler.'t, 
hydraulic  presses,  and  the  like. 

Cast-iron,  however,  if  subjected  to  only  one  single  fusion,  is 
larely  sufficiently  homogeneous  ;  and  it  requires  a  second  fusiim 
completely  to  refine  it  by  dispossessing  it  of  its  last  earthly 
deposits.  So  before  being  forwarded  to  Tami)a  Town,  the  iron 
ore,  molten  in  the  great  furnaces  of  Coldspriug,  and  brouglit  into 


76  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

contact  with  coal  and  silicium  heated  to  a  high  temperature,  was 
carlnirized  and  transformed  into  cast-iron.  After  this  first  opera- 
tion, the  metal  was  sent  on  to  Stones  Hill.  They  had,  however, 
to  deal  with  136,000,0001bs.  of  iron,  a  quantity  far  too  costly  to 
send  by  railway.  The  cost  of  transport  would  have  been  double 
that  of  material.  It  appeared  pi-eferable  to  freight  vessels  at  New 
York,  and  to  load  them  with  the  iron  in  bars.  This,  howcA^er, 
required  not  less  than  sixty-eight  vessels  of  1000  tons,  a  A^eritable 
fleet,  which,  quitting  New  York  on  the  3rd  of  May,  on  the  10th 
of  the  same  month  ascended  the  Bay  of  Espiritu  Santo,  and  dis- 
chaiged  their  cargoes,  without  dues,  in  the  port  at  Tampa  Town. 
Thence  the  iron  was  transported  by  rail  to  Stones  Hill,  and  about 
the  middle  of  January  this  enormous  mass  of  metal  was  delivered 
at  its  destination. 

It  will  be  easily  understood  that  1200  furnaces  were  not  too 
many  to  melt  simultaneously  these  60,000  tons  of  iron.  Each  of 
these  furnaces  contained  nearly  140,000lbs.  weight  of  metal.  They 
were  all  built  after  the  model  of  those  which  served  for  the  casting 
of  the  Rodman  gun,  they  were  trapezoidal  in  shape,  with  a  high 
elliptical  arch.  These  furnaces,  constructed  of  fireproof  brick,  were 
especially  adapted  for  burning  pit  coal,  with  a  fiat  bottom  upon 
which  the  iron  bars  Avere  laid.  This  bottom,  inclined  at  an  ansrle 
of  25°,  allowed  the  metal  to  fiow  into  the  receiving  troughs  ;  and 
the  1200  converging  trenches  carried  the  molten  metal  down  to 
the  central  well. 

The  day  following  that  on  which  the  works  of  the  masoniy  and 
boring  had  been  completed,  Barbicaue  set  to  work  upon  the  central 
mould.  His  object  now  was  to  raise  within  the  centre  of  the 
Avell,  and  with  a  coincident  axis,  a  cylinder  900  feet  high,  and  9 
feet  in  diameter,  Avhich  should  exactly  fill  up  the  space  reserved 
for  the  bore  of  the  Colurabiad.  This  cylinder  was  composed  of  a 
mixture  of  clay  and  sand,  Avith  the  addition  of  a  little  hay  and 
straAv.  The  space  left  between  the  mould  and  the  masonry  Avas 
intended  to  be  filled  up  by  the  molten  metal,  Avhich  would  thus 


THE  CASTING. 


[p.  7T.1 


THE  Fete  op  the  casting.  ^n 


form  the  walls  six  feet  in  thickness.  This  cylinder,  in  order  to 
maintcain  its  equilibrium,  had  to  be  bound  by  iron  bands,  and 
firmly  fixed  at  certain  intervals  by  cross-clamps  fastened  into  the 
stone  lining  ;  after  the  castings  these  would  be  buried  in  the  block 
of  metal,  leaving  no  external  projection. 

This  operation  was  completed  on  the  8th  of  July,  and  the  run  of 
the  metal  was  fixed  for  the  following  day. 

"  This  fete  of  the  casting  will  be  a  grand  ceremony,"  said  J.  T. 
Maston  to  his  friend  Barbicane. 

"  Undoubtedly,"  said  Barbicane;  "but  it  will  not  be  a  pubHc 
fete." 

"  What !  will  you  not  open  the  gates  of  the  enclosure  to  all 
comers  ?" 

"  I  must  be  very  careful,  Maston.  The  casting  of  the  Colum- 
biad  is  an  extremely  delicate,  not  to  say  a  dangerous,  operation, 
and  I  should  prefer  its  being  done  privately.  At  the  discharge  of 
the  projectile,  a  fete  if  you  like— till  then,  no  !" 

The  president  was  right.  The  operation  involved  unforeseen 
dangers,  which  a  great  influx  of  spectators  would  have  hindered 
h,m  from  averting.  It  was  necessary  to  preserve  complete  free- 
dom of  movement.  No  one  was  admitted  within  the  enclosure 
except  a  delegation  of  members  of  the  Gun  Ciub,  who  had  made 
the  voyage  to  Tampa  Town.  Among  these  was  the  brisk  Bilsby, 
Tom  Hunter,  Colonel  Blomsberry,  Major  Elphinstoue,  General 
Morgan,  and  the  rest  of  the  lot  to  whom  the  casting  of  the 
Columbiad  was  a  matter  of  personal  interest.  J.  T.  Maston 
became  their  cicerone.  He  omitted  no  point  of  detail;  he  con- 
ducted them  throughout  the  magazines,  workshops,  through  the  • 
midst  of  the  engines,  and  compelled  them  to  visit  the  whole  1200 
furnaces  one  after  the  other.  At  the  end  of  the  twelve-hundredth 
visit  they  were  pretty  well  knocked  up. 

The  casting  was  to  take  place  at  12  o'clock  precisely.  Tlio 
previous  evening  each  furnace  had  been  charged  with  114,000ibs. 
weight  of  metal  in  bars  disposed  cross-ways  to  each  other,  so  as  to 


FROAf    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 


allow  the  hot  air  to  circulate  freely  between  them.  At  daybreak 
the  1200  cliimneys  vomited  their  torrents  of  flame  into  the  air,  and 
the  ground  was  agitated  with  dull  tremblings.  As  many  pounds 
of  metal  as  there  were  to  cast,  so  many  pounds  of  coal  were  there 
to  burn.  Thus  there  were  68,000  tons  of  coal  which  projected  in 
the  face  of  the  sun  a  thick  curtain  of  smoke.  The  heat  soon 
became  insuppoitable  within  the  circle  of  furnaces,  the  rumblinf 
of  which  resembled  the  rolling  of  thunder.  The  powerful  venti- 
lators added  their  continuous  blasts  and  saturated  with  oxygen  the 
glowing  plates.  The  operation,  to  be  successful,  required  to  be 
conducted  with  great  rapidity.  On  a  signal  given  by  a  cannon- 
shot  each  furnace  was  to  give  vent  to  the  molten  iron  and  com- 
pletely to  empty  itself.  These  arrangements  made,  foremen  and 
workmen  waited  the  preconcerted  moment  with  an  impatience 
mingled  with  a  certain  amount  of  emotion.  Not  a  soul  remained 
Avithin  the  enclosure.  "Each  superintendent  took  his  post  by  the 
aperture  of  the  run. 

Barbicane  and  his  colleagues,  perched- on  a  neighbouring  emi- 
nence, assisted  at  the  operation.  In  front  of  them  was  a  piece  of 
artillery  ready  to  give  fire  on  the  signal  from  the  engineer.  Some 
minutes  before  midday  the  first  driblets  of  metal  began  to  flow; 
the  reservoirs  filled  little  by  little;  and,  by  the  time  that  the 
whole  melting  was  completely  accomplished,  it  was  kept  in 
abeyance  for  a  few  minutes  in  order  to  facilitate  the  separation  of 
foreign  substances. 

Twelve  o'clock  struck  !  A  gun-shot  suddenly  pealed  forth  and 
shot  its  flame  into  the  air.  Twelve  hundred  melting-troughs 
were  simultaneously  opened  and  twelve  hundred  fiery  serpents 
crept  towards  the  central  well,  unrolling  their  incandescent 
curves.  There,  down  they  plunged  with  a  terrific  noise  into  a 
depth  of  900  feet.  It  was  an  exciting  and  a  magnificent  spec- 
tacle. The  ground  trembled,  while  these  molten  waves,  launching 
into  the  sky  their  Avreaths  of  smoke,  evaporated  the  moisture  of 
the  mould  and  hurled  it  upwards  through  the  vent-holes  of  the  stone 


THE   FETE   OF    THE   CASTING.  -g 


lining  in  the  form  of  dense  vapour-clouds.     These  uiiillcial  clouds 
unrolled  their  thick  spirals  to  a  height  of  1000  yards  into  the  nir. 
A   savage,   wandering   somewhere    beyond    the    limits    of    tho 
horizon,  might  have  believed  that  some  new  crater  was  forming 
in  the  bosom  of  Florida,  although  there  was  neither  auy  eruption" 
nor  typhoon,  nor  storm,  nor  struggle  of  the  elements,  nor  any  of 
those  terrible  phenomena  which  nature  is  capable  of  producing. 
No,  it  was  man  aione  who  had  produced  these  reddi.sli  vapours, 
these  gigantic  flames  worthy  of  a  volcano  itself,  these  tremendous 
vibrations  resembling  the  shock  of  an  earthquake,  these  reverbe- 
rations rivalling  those  of  hurricanes  and  storms, •  and  it  was  his 
hand  which  precipitated  into  an  abyss,  dug  by  himself,  a  whole 
Niagara  of  molten  metal ! 


8o  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE    COLUMBIA!). 


Had  the  casting  succeeded  ?  They  were  reduced  to  mere  con- 
jecture. There  was  indeed  every  reason  to  expect  success,  since 
the  mould  had  absorbed  the  entire  mass  of  the  molten  metal;  still 
some  considerable  time  must  elapse  before  they  could  arrive  at 
any  certainty  upon  the  matter. 

The  patience  of  the  members  of  the  Gun  Club  was  sorely  tried 
during  this  period  of  time.  But  they  could  do  nothing.  J.  T. 
Maston  escaped  roasting  by  a  miracle.  Fifteen  days  after  the 
casting  an  immense  column  of  smoke  was  still  rising  in  the  open 
sky,  and  the  ground  burnt  the  soles  of  the  feet  within  a  radius  of 
200  feet  round  the  summit  of  Stones  Hill.  It  was  impossible  to 
approach  nearer.  All  they  could  do  was  to  wait  with  what 
patience  they  might. 

"  Here  we  are  at  the  10th  August,"  exclaimed  J.  T.  Maston 
one  morning,  "  only  four  months  to  the  1st  of  December!  We 
shall  never  be  ready  in  time!  "  Barbicaue  said  nothing,  but  his 
silence  covered  serious  irritation. 

However,  daily  observations  revealed  a  certain  change  going  on 
in  the  state  of  the  ground.  About  the  15th  August  the  vapours 
ejected  had  sensibly  diminished  in  intensity  and  thickness.  Some 
days  afterv/ards  the  earth  exhaled  only  a  slight  puff  of  smoke,  the 
last  breath  of  the  monster  enclosed  within  its  circle  of  stone. 
Little  by  little  the  belt  of  heat  contracted,  until  on  the  22nd 
August  Barbicaue,  his  colleagues,  aud  the  engineer  were  enabled 


THE   COLVMBIAD.  gl 


to  set  foot  on  the  iron  sheet  which  lay  level  upon  the  summit  of 
Stones  Hill. 

"  At  last!"  exclaimetl  the  President  of  the  Gun  Club,  with  an 
immense  sigh  of  relief. 

The  work  was  resumed  the  same  day.  They  proceeded  at  once 
to  extract  the  interior  mould,  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  out  the 
boring  of  the  piece.  Pickaxes  and  boring  irons  were  set  to  work 
without  intermission.  The  clayey  and  sandy  soils  had  acquired 
extreme  hardness  under  the  action  of  the  heat ;  but  by  the  aid  of 
the  machines,  the  rubbish  on  being  dug  out  was  rapidly  carted 
away  on  railway  waggons;  and  such  was  the  ardour  of  the  work, 
so  persuasive  the  arguments  of  Barbicane's  dollars,  that  by  the  3rd 
of  September  all  traces  of  the  mould  had  entirely  disappeared. 

Immediately  the  opei-ation  of  boring  was  commenced;  and  by  the 
aid  of  powerful  machines,  a  few  weeks  later,  the  inner  surface  of 
the  immense  tube  had  been  rendered  perfectly  cylindrical,  and  the 
bore  of  the  piece  had  acquired  a  thorough  polish. 

At  length,  on  the  22nd  of  September,  less  than  a  twelvemonth 
after  Barbicane's  original  proposition,  the  enormous  weapon, 
accurately  bored,  and  exactly  vertically  pointed,  was  ready  for 
work.  There  was  only  the  moon  now  to  wait  for;  and  they  were 
pretty  sure  that  she  would  not  fail  in  the  rendezvous. 

The  ecstacy  of  J.  T.  Maston  knew  no  bounds,  and  he  narrowly 
escaped  a  frightful  fall  while  staring  down  the  tube.  But  for  the 
strong  hand  of  Colonel  Blomsberry,  the  worthy  secretary,  like  a 
modern  Erostratus,  would  have  found  his  death  in  the  depths  of 
the  Columbiad. 

The  cannon  was  then  finished  ;  there  was  no  possible  doubt  as 
to  its  perfect  completion.  So,  on  the  6th  of  October,  Captain 
NichoU  opened  an  account  between  himself  and  President  Burbi- 
cane,  in  which  he  debited  himself  to  the  latter  in  the  sum  of  2()00 
dollars.  One  may  believe  that  the  Captain's  wrath  was  increu.-^cil 
to  its  highest  point,  and  must  have  made  him  seriously  ill.  How- 
ever, he  bad  still  three  bets  of  three,  four,  and  five  thousand 

o 


82  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

dollars,  re.s])Cctivoly  ;  aud  if  he  gained  two  out  of  these,  his 
position  would  not  be  very  had.  But  the  money  question  did  not 
outer  into  his  calculations;  it  was  the  success  of  his  rival  in 
casting  a  cannon  against  which  iron  plates  sixty  feet  thick 
would  have  been  iueffectal,  that  dealt  him  a  terrible  blow. 

After  the  23rd  of  September  the  enclosure  of  Stones  Hill  was 
thrown  open  to  the  public;  and  it  will  be  easily  imagined  what 
was  the  concourse  of  visitors  to  this  spot !  There  was  an  incessant 
flow  of  people  to  and  from  Tampa  Town  and  the  place,  which 
resembled  a  procession,  or  rather,  in  fact,  a  pilgrimage. 

It  was  already  clear  to  be  seen  that,  on  the  day  of  the  experi- 
ment itself,  the  aggregate  of  spectators  would  be  counted  by 
millions;  for  they  were  already  arriving  from  all  parts  of  the  earth 
upon  this  narrow  strip  of  promontory.  Europe  was  emigrating 
to  America. 

Up  to  that  time,  however,  it  must  be  confessed,  the  curiosity 
of  the  numerous  comers  was  but  scantily  gratified.  Most  had 
counted  upon  witnessing  the  spectacle  of  the  casting,  and  they 
were  treated  to  nothing  but  smoke.  This  was  sorry  food  for 
hungry  eyes;  but  Barbicanc  would  admit  no  one  to  that  opei'ation. 
Then  ensued  grumbling,  discontent,  murmurs;  they  blamed  the  Pre- 
sident, taxed  him  with  dictatoi'ial  conduct.  His  proceedings  were 
declared  "  un-American."  There  was  very  nearly  a  riot  round 
Stones  Hill;  but  Barbicane  remained  inflexible.  When,  however, 
the  Columbiad  was  entirely  finished,  this  state  of  closed  doors 
could  no  longer  be  maintained;  besides  it  would  have  been  bad 
taste,  and  even  imprudence,  to  affi'ont  the  public  feeling.  Bar- 
bicane, therefore,  opened  the  enclosure  to  all  comers;  but,  true  to 
his  jM-actical  disposition,  he  determined  to  coin  money  out  of  the 
public  curiosity. 

It  was  something,  indeed,  to  be  enabled  to  contemplate  this 
immense  Columbiad;  but  to  descend  into  its  depths,  this  seemed  to 
the  Americans  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  earthly  felicity.  Consequently, 
there  was  not  one  curious  spectator  who  was  not  wilHng  to  give 


TAMPA  TOWN  AFTER  THE  UNDERTAKING. 


rp.  M.1 


THE    COLUMBIAD.  83 


himself  the  treat  of  visitiug  the  iuteiioi-  of  this  metallic  abyss. 
Baskets  suspended  from  steam-cranes  permitted  them  to  satisfy 
their  curiosity.  There  was  a  perfect  mania.  Women,  children, 
old  men,  all  made  it  a  point  of  duty  to  penetrate  the  mysteries 
of  the  colossal  gun.  The  fare  for  the  descent  was  fixed  at  five 
dollars  per  head  ;  and,  despite  this  high  charge,  during  the  two 
months  which  preceded  the  experiment,  the  influx  of  visitors 
enabled  the  Gun  Club  to  pocket  nearly  500,000  dollars  ! 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  first  visitors  of  the  Columbiad 
were  the  members  of  the  Gun  Club.     This  privilege  was  justly 
reserved  for  that  illustrious  body.     The  ceremony  took  place  on 
the  25th  September.     A  basket  of  honour  took  down  the  Presi- 
dent, J.  T.  Maston,  Major  Elphinstoue,  General  ^lorgan,  Colonel 
Blomsberry,  and  other  members  of  the  club,  to  the  number  ot  ten 
in  all.     How  hot  it  was  at  the  bottom  of  that  long  tube  ol  metal ! 
They  were  half  suffocated.     But  what  delight !     What  ecstacy  ! 
A  table  had  been  laid  with  six  covers  on  the  massive  stone  which 
formed  the  bottom  of  the  Columbiad,  and  lighted  by  a  jet  of 
electric  light  resembling  that  of  day  itself.     Numerous  exquisite 
dishes,    which    seemed   to    descend  from    heaven,    were   placed 
successively  before  the  guests,  and  the  richest  wines  of  France 
flowed  in  profusion  during  this  splendid  repast,  served  mne  hundred 
feet  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth! 

The  festival  was  animated,  not  to  say  somewhat  noisy.  Toasts 
flew  backwards  and  forwards.  They  drank  to  the  earth  and  to 
her  satellite,  to  the  Gun  Club,  the  Union,  the  moon,  Diana, 
Phoebe,  Selene,  the  "peaceful  courier  of  the  night '  !  All  the 
hurrahs,  carried  upwards  upon  the  sonorous  waves  of  the  immense 
acoustic  tube,  arrived  with  the  sound  of  thunder  «;*  its  mouth ;  and 
the  multitude  ranged  round  Stones  Hill  heartdy  umted  leu 
shouts  with  those  of  the  ten  revellers  hidden  from  view  at  the 

bottom  of  the  gigantic  Columbiad.  Whether  he 

J.  T.  Maston  was  no  longer  master  of  h.mse   .     ^^^^  '  ^  J 

shouted  or  gesticulated,  ate  or  drank  most,  would  be  a  d.lhcult 

G  2 


84  FROM   THE   EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 

matter  to  detenuiue.  At  all  events,  ho  would  not  have  given  his 
place  up  for  an  empire,  "  not  even  if  the  cannon — loaded,  primed, 
and  fired  at  that  very  moment — were  to  blow  him  in  pieces  into 
fhe  ])lanetary  world." 


^W 


THE  BANQUET  IN  THE  COLUMBIAD. 


[p.  S4.1 


1 


A    TELEGRAPHIC  DESPATCH.  85 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


A    TELEGRAPHIC    DESPATCH. 


The  great  works  undertaken  by  the  Gun  Club  had  now  virtually 
come  to  an  end ;  and  two  months  still  remained  before  the  day  for 
the  discharge  of  the  shot  to  the  moon.'  To  the  general  impaticneo 
these  two  months  appeared  as  long  as  years  !  Hitherto  the 
smallest  details  of  the  operation  had  been  daily  chronicled  by  the 
journals,  which  the  public  devoured  with  eager  eyes. 

Just  at  this  moment  a  circumstance,  the  most  unexpected,  tho 
most  extraordinary  and  incredible,  occurred  to  rouse  afresh  their 
panting  spirits,  and  to  throw  every  mind  into  a  state  of  tho  most 
violent  excitement. 

One  day,  the  30th  September,  at  3.47  p.m.,  a  telegram,  trans- 
mitted by  cable  from  Valentia  (Ireland)  to  Newfoundland  and 
the  American  mainland,  arrived  at  the  address  of  President 
Barbicane. 

The  President  tore  open  the  envelope,  read  the  despatch,  and, 
despite  his  remarkable  powers  of  self-control,  his  lips  turned  pale 
and  his  eyes  grew  dim,  on   reading  the  tAventy  words  of  this 

telegram. 

Here  is  the  text  of  the  despatch,  which  figures  now  in  tho 

archives  of  the  Gun  Club : — 

"  Feance,  Paeis, 

"  30  September,  4  a.m. 

"  Barbicane,  Tampa  Town,  Florida,  United  States. 
"  Substitute  for  your  spherical  shell  a  cylindro-conical  projectile.     I  sLtJl 

go  inside.     SliaU  arrive  by  steamer  '  Atlanta.' 

^  "Michel  Audan." 


86  FROM    THE  EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   PASSENGER   OF    THE    "  ATLANTA." 

If  this  astountUng  news,  instead  of  flying  through  the  electric 
wire?,  had  simply  arrived  by  post  in  the  ordinary  sealed  envelope, 
Barbicane  would  not  have  hesitated  a  moment.  He  would  have 
held  his  tongue  about  it,  both  as  a  measure  of  prudence,  and  in 
order  not  to  have  to  I'econsider  his  plans.  This  telegram  might 
be  a  cover  for  some  jest,  especially  as  it  came  from  a  Frenchman. 
What  human  being  would  ever  have  conceived  the  idea  of  such  a 
journey?  and,  if  such  a  person  really  existed,  he  must  be  an  idiot, 
whom  one  would  shut  up  in  a  lunatic  ward,  rather  than  within  the 
walls  of  the  projectile. 

The  contents  of  the  despatch,  however,  speedily  became  known; 
for  the  telegraphic  officials  possessed  but  little  discretion,  and 
IMichel  Ardan's  proposition  ran  at  once  throughout  the  several 
States  of  the  Union.  Barbicane  had,  therefore,  no  further  motive 
for  keeping  silence.  Consequently,  he  called  together  such  of  his 
colleagues  as  were  at  the  moment  in  Tampa  Town,  and  without 
any  expression  of  his  own  opinions  simply  read  to  them  the  laconic 
text  itself.  It  was  received  with  every  possible  variety  of  expres- 
sions of  doubt,  incredulity,  and  derision  from  every  one,  with  the 
exception  of  J.  T.  Maston,  who  exclaimed,  "  It  is  a  grand  idea, 
however!" 

When  Barbicane  originally  proposed  to  send  a  shot  to  the  moon 
every  one  looked  upon  the  enterprise  as  simple  and  practicable 
enough — a  mere  question  of  gunnery;  but  when  a  person,  pro- 
fessing to  be  a  reasonable  being,  offered  to  take  passage  within  the 


PRESIDENT  BAKCICANE  AT  HIS  WINDOW. 


[p.  87.1 


THE   PASSENGER    OF   THE   "ATLANTA.'^  87 


projectile,  the  whole  thiug  became  a  faice,  or,  in  plainer  language, 
a  humbug. 

One  question,  however,   remained.     Did  such   a  being  exist  ? 
This  telegram  flashed  across  the  depths  of  the  Atlantic,  the  desig- 
nation of  the  vessel  on  board  which  he  was  to  take  his  passage, 
the  date  assigned  for  his  speedy  arrival,  all  combined  to  impart  a 
certain  character  of  reality  to  the  proposal.     They  must  get  some 
clearer  notion  of  the  matter.     Scattered  groups  of  inquirers  at 
length  condensed  themselves  into  a  compact  crowd,  which  made 
straight  for  the  residence  of  President  Barbicane.     That  worthy 
individual  was  keeping  quiet  with  the  intention  of  watching  events 
as  they  arose.     But  he  had  forgotten  to  take  into   account  the 
public   impatience;  and  it  was  with  no  pleasant  countenance  that 
he  watched  the  population  of  Tampa  Town  gathering  under  his 
windows.    The  miuinurs  and  vociferations  below  presently  obliged 
him  to  appear.     He  came  forward,  therefore,  and  on  silence  being 
procured,  a  citizen  put  point-blank  to  him  the  following  question: 
— "  Is  the  person  mentioned  in  the  telegram,  under  the  name  of 
Michel  Ardan,  on  his  way  here  ?     Yes  or  no." 

"Gentlemen,"  replied  Barbicane,   "  I  know  no  more  than  you 

do." 

«  We  must  know,"  roared  the  impatient  voices. 

"  Time  will  show,"  calmly  replied  the  President. 

-  Time  has  no  business  to  keep  a  whole  country  in  suspense," 
replied  the  orator.  "  Have  you  altered  the  plans  of  the  projectdo 
according  to  the  request  of  the  telegram?  " 

"  Not  yet,  gentlemen;  but  you  are  right !  we  must  have  better 
information  to  go  by.  The  telegraph  must  complete  its  informa- 
tion." 

"  To  the  telegraph  !"  roared  the  crowd. 

Barbicane  descended;  and  heading  the  immense  assemblage,  led 
the  way  to  the  telegraph  office.  A  few  minutes  later  a  telegram 
was  despatched  to  the  secretary  of  the  underwriters  at  Liverpool, 
requesting  answers  to  the  following  queries  :— 


83  FROM    THE   EARTH   TO    THE   MOON. 

"  About  the  ship  *  Atlanta  ' — when  did  she  leave  Europe?  Had 
she  on  board  a  Frenchman  named  Michel  Ardau?" 

Two  hours  afterwards  Barbicane  received  information  too  exact 
to  leave  room  for  the  smallest  remaining  doubt. 

"  The  steamer  'Atlanta'  from  Liverpool  put  to  sea  on  the  2nd 
October,  bound  for  Tampa  Town,  having  on  board  a  French- 
niau  borne  on  the  list  of  passengers  by  the  name  of  Michel 
Ardan." 

That  very  evening  he  wrote  to  the  bouse  of  Breadwill  and  Co., 
requesting  them  to  suspend  the  casting  of  the  projectile  until  the 
receipt  of  further  orders.  On  the  20th  October,  at  9  a.m.,  the 
semaphores  of  the  Bahama  Canal  signalled  a  thick  smoke  on  the 
horizon.  Two  hours  later  a  large  steamer  exchanged  signals  with 
them.  The  name  of  the  "Atlanta"  flew  at  once  over  Tampa 
Town.  At  four  o'clock  the  English  vessel  entered  the  Bay  of 
Esjiiritu  Santo.  At  five  it  crossed  the  passage  of  Hillisborough 
Bay  at  full  steam.  At  six  she  cast  anchor  at  Port  Tampa.  The 
anchor  had  scarcely  caught  the  sandy  bottom  when  500  boats 
surrounded  the  "  Atlanta,"  and  the  steamer  was  taken  by  assault. 
Barbicane  was  the  first  to  set  foot  on  deck,  and  in  a  voice  of 
which  he  vainly  tried  to  conceal  the  emotion,  called  "Michel 
Ardan." 

"Here!"  replied  an  individual  perched  on  the  poop. 

Barbicane,  with  arms  crossed,  looked  fixedly  at  the  passenger 
of  the  "Atlanta." 

He  was  a  man  of  about  42  years  of  age,  of  large  build,  but 
slightly  round-shouldered.  His  massive  head  momentarily  shook 
a  shock  of  reddish  hair,  which  resembled  a  lion's  mane.  His 
face  was  short  with  a  broad  forehead,  and  furnished  with  a 
moustache  as  bristly  as  a  cat's,  and  little  patches  of  yellowish 
whisker  upon  full  checks.  Round,  wildish  eyes,  slightly  near- 
sighted, completed  a  physiognomy  essentially  feline.  His  nose 
was  firmly  shaped,  his  mouth  particularly  sweet  in  expression, 
high  forehead,  intelligent  and  furrowed   with   wrinkles   like  a 


IIICIIEL  ARDAK 


111.  H8  1 


THE  PASSENGER    OF    THE   '■^ATLANTA"  89 


newly-ploughed  field.     The  body  Avas  powerfully  developed  and 
firmly  fixed  upon  long  legs.     Muscular  arms,  and  a  general  air 
of  decision  gave  him  the  appearance  of  a  hardy,  jolly  companion. 
He  was  dressed  in  a  suit  of  ample  dimensions,  loose  neckerchief, 
open  shirt-collar,  disclosing  a  robust  neck;  his  cuffs  were  in-  . 
variably  unbuttoned,  through  which  appeared  a  pair  of  red  hands. 
On  the  bridge  of  the  steamer,  in  the  midst  of  the  crowd,  he 
bustled   to   and  fro,   never    still    for  a  moment,   "dragging   his 
anchors,"  as   the    sailors   say,    gesticulating,   making   free  with 
everybody,  biting  his  nails  with  nervous  avidity.     He  was  one  of 
those  originals  which  nature  sometimes  invents  in  the  freak  of  a 
moment,  and  of  which  she  then  breaks  the  mould. 

Amongst  other  peculiarities,  this  curiosity  gave  himself  out  for 
a  sublime  ignoramus,  "  like  Shakespeare,"  and  professed  supreme 
contempt  for  all  scientific  men.  Those  "  fellows,"  as  ho  called 
them,  "  are  only  fit  to  mark  the  points,  while  we  play  the  game." 
He  was,  in  fact,  a  thorough  Bohemian,  adventurous,  but  not  an 
adventurer;  a  hair-brained  fellow,  a  kind  of  Icarus,  only  possess- 
ing relays  of  wings.  For  the  rest,  he  was  ever  in  scrapes,  ending 
invariably  by  falling  on  his  feet,  like  those  little  pith  figures 
which  they  sell  for  children's  toys.  In  two  words,  his  motto  was 
"I  have  my  opinions,"  and  the  love  of  the  impossible  constituted 

his  ruling  passion. 

Such  was  the  passenger  of  the  "Atlanta,"  always  excitable,  as 
if  boiling  under  the  action  of  some  internal  fire  by  the  character 
of  his  physical  organization.  If  ever  two  individuals  offered  a 
striking  contrast  to  each  other,  these  were  certainly  Michel 
Ardan  and  the  Yankee  Barbicane;  both,  moreover,  being  equaUy 
enterprising  and  daring,  each  in  his  own  way. 

The  scrutiny  which  the  President  of  the  Gun  Club  had  insti- 
tuted regarding  this  new  rival  was  quickly  interrupted  by  the 
shouts  and  hurrahs  of  the  crowd.  The  cries  became  at  last  so 
uproarious,  and  the  popular  enthus;asm  assumed  so  personal  a 
form,   that   Michel   Ardan,   after    having    shaken    hands    somo 


90  FROM    THE   EARTH   TO    THE   MOON. 

tliousamls  of  times,  at  the  immineut  risk  of  leaving  his  fingers 
beliind  liim,  Avas  fain  at  last  to  make  a  bolt  for  his  cabin. 

Barbicane  followed  him  Avithout  uttering  a  word. 

"  You  are  Barbicane,  I  suppose  ? "  said  Michel  Ardan  in  a 
tone  of  voice  in  which  he  would  have  addressed  a  friend  of 
twenty  years'  standing. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  President  of  the  G.  C. 

"  All  right !  how  d'ye  do,  Barbicane  ?  how  are  you  getting  on 
— pretty  well  ?  that's  right." 

"  So,"  said  Barbicane,  without  further  preliminary,  "  you  are) 
quite  determined  to  go." 

"  Quite  decided." 

"Nothing  will  stop  you?" 

"Nothing.  Have  you  modified  your  projectile  according  to 
my  telegram." 

"I  waited  for  your  arrival.  But,"  asked  Barbicane  again, 
"have  you  carefully  reflected?" 

"  Reflected  ?  have  I  any  time  to  spare  ?  I  find  an  opportunity 
of  making  a  tour  in  the  moon,  and  I  mean  to  profit  by  it.  There 
is  the  whole  gist  of  the  matter." 

Barbicane  looked  hard  at  this  man  who  spoke  so  lightly  of  his 
project  with  such  complete  absence  of  anxiety.  "  But,  at  least," 
said  he,  "you  have  some  plans,  some  means  of  carrying  your 
pi'oject  into  execution  ?  " 

"Excellent,  my  dear  Barbicane;  only  permit  me  to  offer  one 
remark: — My  wish  is  to  tell  my  story  once  for  all,  to  everybody, 
and  then  to  have  done  with  it;  then  there  will  be  no  need  for 
recapitulation.  So,  if  you  have  no  objection,  assemble  your 
friends,  colleagues,  the  whole  town,  all  Florida,  all  America  if 
you  like,  and  to-morrow  I  shall  be  ready  to  explain  my  plans  and 
answer  any  objections  whatever  that  may  be  advanced.  You 
may  rest  assured  I  shall  wait  without  stirring.  Will  that  suit 
you?" 

"  All  right,"  replied  Barbicane. 


THE  PASSENGER    OF    THE   "ATLANTA"  9 1 


So  saying,  the  President  left  the  cabin  and  informed  the  crowd 
of  the  proposal  of  Michel  Ardan.  His  words  were  received  with 
clappings  of  hands  and  shouts  of  joy.  They  had  removed  all 
difficulties.  To-morrow  every  one  would  contemplate  at  his  ease 
this  European  hero.  However,  some  of  the  spectators,  more 
infatuated  than  the  rest,  would  not  leave  the  deck  of  the  "  At- 
lanta." They  passed  the  night  on  board.  Amongst  others, 
J.  T.  Maston  got  his  hook  fixed  in  the  combing  of  the  poop,  and 
it  pretty  nearly  required  the  capstan  to  get  it  out  again. 

"He  is  a  hero!  a  hero!"  he  cried,  a  theme  of  which  he  was 
never  tired  of  ringing  the  changes;  "and  we  are  only  like  weak, 
silly  women,  compared  with  this  European!" 

As  to  the  president,  after  having  suggested  to  the  visitors  it 
was  time  to  retire,  he  re-entered  the  passenger's  cabin,  and  re- 
mained there  till  the  bell  of  the  steamer  made  it  midnight. 

But  then  the  two  rivals  in  popularity  shook  hands  heartily 
and  parted  on  terms  of  intimate  friendship. 


92  FROM    THE  EARTH    TO    THE   MOON: 


I 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A   MONSTER    MEETING. 

On  llie  following  ilay  Barbicane,  fearing  that  indiscreet  questions 
might  be  put  to  Michel  Ardan,  was  desirous  of  reducing  the  num- 
ber of  the  audience  to  a  few  of  the  initiated,  his  own  colleagues 
for  instance.  He  might  as  well  have  tried  to  check  the  Falls  of 
Niagara  !  He  was  compelled,  therefore,  to  give  up  the  idea,  and 
to  let  his  new  friend  run  the  chances  of  a  public  conference. 
The  i^lace  cLosen  for  this  monster  meeting  was  a  vast  plain 
situated  in  the  rear  of  the  town.  In  a  few  hours,  thanks  to  the 
help  of  the  shipping  in  port,  an  immense  roofing  of  canvas  was 
stretched  over  the  parched  prairie,  and  protected  it  from  the 
burning  rays  of  the  sun.  There  300,000  people  braved  for  many- 
hours  the  stifling  heat  while  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  French- 
man. Of  this  crowd  of  spectators  a  first  set  could  both  see  and 
hear  ;  a  second  set  saw  badly  and  heard  nothing  at  all ;  and  as 
for  the  third,  it  could  neither  see  nor  hear  anything  at  all.  At 
tbree  o'clock  Michel  Ardau  made  his  appearance,  accompanied  by 
the  principal  members  of  the  Gun  Club.  He  was  supported  on 
his  right  by  President  Barbicane,  and  on  his  left  by  J.  T.  Maston, 
more  radiant  than  the  midday  sun  and  nearly  as  ruddy.  Ardau 
mounted  a  platform,  from  the  top  of  which  his  view  extended 
over  a  sea  of  black  hats.  He  exhibited  not  the  slightest  embar- 
i-assmcnt ;  he  was  just  as  gay,  familiar,  and  pleasant  as  if  he 
were  at  home.  To  the  hurrahs  which  greeted  him  he  replied  by  a 
graceful  bow  ;  then,  waving  his  baud  to  request  silence,  he  spoke 
in  perfectly  correct  English  as  follows : — 

"  Gentlemen,    despite  the   very   hot   weather  I  request   your 


<>^mmt^^^^^mi} 


THE  MEETING. 


[,,.  92.] 


A    MONSTER   MEETING.  93 


patience  for  a  short  time  while  I  offer  some  explanations  regard- 
ing the  projects  which   seem  to  have  so  interested  yon.     I  am 
neither  an  orator  nor  a  man  of  science,  and  I  had  no  idea  of 
addressing  you  in  public  ;  but  my  fiiend  Barbicane  has  told  mo 
that  you  would  like  to  hear  me,  and  I  am  quite  at  your  service. 
Listen  to  me,  therefore,  with  your  600,000  ears,  and  please  to 
excuse  the  foults  of  the  speaker.     Now  pray  do  not  forget  that 
you  see  before  you  a  perfect  ignoramus,  whoso  ignorance  goes  so 
far  that  he  cannot  even  understand  the  difficulties  !     It  seemed  to 
him  that  it  was  a  matter  quite  simple,  natural,  and  easy  to  take 
one's  place  in  a  projectile  and  start  for  the  moon  !      That  journey 
must  be  undertaken   sooner  or  later  ;  and,   as  for  the  mode  of 
locomotion  adopted,  it  follows  simply  the  law  of  progress.     Man 
began  by  walking  on  all-fours  ;  then,  one  fine  day,  on  two  feet ; 
then  in  a  carriage  ;  then  in  a  stage-coach  ;  and  lastly  by  railway. 
Well,  the  projectile  is  the  vehicle  of  the  future,  and  the  planets 
themselves  are  nothing  else  !     Noav  some  of  you,  gentlemen,  may 
imagine  that  the   velocity  we  propose  to  impart  to  it  is  extra- 
vagant.    It  is  nothing  of  the  kind.     All  the  stars  exceed  it  in 
rapidity,  and  the  earth   herself  is   at  this  moment  carrying   us 
round  the  sun  at  three  times  as  rapid  a  rate,  and  yet  she  is  a  mere 
louno-er  on  the  way  compared  with  many  others  of  the  planets  ! 
And   her  velocity  is   constantly    decreasing.     Is  it   not  evident, 
then,  I  ask  you,  that  there  will  some  day  appear  velocities  far 
lu^reater  than  these,  of  which  light  or  electricity  will  probably  be 
the  mechanical  agent  ? 

"Yes,  gentlemen,"  continued  the  orator,  "in  spite  of  the 
opinions  of  certain  narrow-minded  people,  who  would  shut  up  the 
human  race  upon  this  globe,  as  within  some  magic  circle  which  it 
must  never  outstep,  we  shall  one  day  travel  to  the  moon,  tho 
planets,  and  the  stars,  with  the  same  facility,  rapidity,  and 
certainty  as  we  now  make  the  voyage  from  Liverpool  to  New 
York !  Distance  is  but  a  relative  expression,  and  must  end  by 
beln"  reduced  to  zero." 


94  FROM   THE  EARTH    TO    THE  MOO  17.  1 

The  assembly,  strongly  predisposed  as  they  were  in  favour  of  the 
French  hero,  were  slightly  staggered  at  this  bold  theory.  Michel 
Ardan  perceived  the  fact. 

"  Gentleman,"  he  coutiuued  with  a  pleasant  smile,  "  you  do  not 
seem  quite  convinced.     Very  good  !     Let  us  reason  the  matter 
out.     Do  you  know  how  long  it  would  take  for  an  express  train  to 
reach  the  moon  ?     Three  hundred  days  ;  no  more  !     And  what  is 
that  ?     The  distance  is  no  more  than   nine   times   the    circum- 
ference of  the  earth  ;  and  there  are  no  sailors  or  travellei's,  of  even 
moderate  activity,  who  have  not  made  longer  journeys  than  that 
in  their  lifetime.     And  now  consider  that  I  shall  be  only  ninety- 
seven  hours  on  my  journey.     Ah  !  I  see  you  are  reckoning  that 
the  moon  is  a  long  way  off  from  the  earth,  and  that  one  must 
think  twice  before  making  the  experiment.     What  would  you  say, 
then,  if  we  were  talking  of  going  to  Neptune,  which  revolves  at 
a  distance  of  more  than  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty 
millions  of  miles  from  the  sun  !  And  yet  what  is  that  compared  with 
the  distance  of  the  fixed  stars,  some  of  which,  such  as  Arcturus, 
are  at  billions  of  miles  distant  from  us  ?     And  then  you  talk  of 
the  distance  which  separates  the  planets  from  the  sun  !     And 
there  are  people  who  affirm  that  such  a  thing  as  distance  exists. 
Absurdity,  folly,   idiotic  nonsense!     Would   you  know  what   / 
think  of  our  own  solar  universe  ?     Shall  I  tell  you  my  theory  ? 
It  is  very  simple  !     In  my  opinion  the  solar  system  is  a  solid, 
homogeneous  body  ;  the  planets  which  compose  it  are  in  actual 
contact  with  each  other  ;   and  whatever   space   exists   between 
them    is    nothing   more    than    the   space    which    separates    the 
molecules  of  the  densest  metal,  such  as  silver,  iron,  or  platinum  ! 
I  ha\-e  the  right,  therefore,  to  affirm,  and  I  repeat,  with  the  con- 
viction which  must  penetrate  all  your  minds,  '  Distance  is  but  an 
empty  name ;  distance  does  not  really  exist ! '  " 

"  Hurrah!  "  cried  one  voice  (need  it  be  said  it  was  that  of  J.  T. 
IVIaston  ?).  "  Distance  does  not  exist !  "  And  overcome  by  the 
energy  of  his  movements,  he  nearly  fell  from  the  platform  to  the 


A    MONSTER   MEETING. 


95 


ground.  He  just  escaped  a  severe  fall,  which  would  have  proved 
to  him  that  distance  was  by  no  means  aii  empti/  name. 

"  Gentlemen,"  resumed  the  oratoi-,  "  I  repeat  that  the  distance 
between  the  earth  and  her  satellite  is  a  mere  trifle,  and  uiule- 
serving  of  serious  consideration,  I  am  convinced  that  before 
twenty  years  are  over  one  half  of  our  earth  will  have  paid  a 
visit  to  the  moon.  Now,  my  worthy  fiiends,  if  you  have 
any  question  to  put  to  me,  you  will,  I  fear,  tadly  embarrass 
a  poor  man  like  myself;  still  I  will  do  my  best  to  answer 
you." 

Up  to  this  point  the  President  of  the  Gun  Club  had  been  satis- 
fied with  the  turn  which  the  discussion  had  assumed.  It  became 
now,  however,  desirable  to  divert  Ardan  from  questions  of  a  prac- 
tical nature,  with  which  he  was  doubtless  far  less  conversant. 
Barbicane,  therefore,  hastened  to  get  in  a  word,  and  began  by 
asking  his  new  friend  whether  he  thought  that  the  moon  and  the 
planets  were  inhabited. 

"  You  put  before  me  a  great  problem,  my  worthy  President," 
replied  the  orator,  smiling.  "  Still,  men  of  great  intelligence, 
such  as  Plutarch,  Swedenborg,  Bernardin  de  St.  Pierre,  and 
others  have,  if  I  mistake  not,  pronounced  in  the  affirmative. 
Looking  at  the  question  from  the  natural  philosopher's  point  of 
view,  I  should  say  that  nothing  useless  existed  in  the  world  ;  and, 
replying  to  your  question  by  another,  I  should  venture  to  assert, 
that  if  these  worlds  are  habitable,  they  either  are,  have  been,  or 
will  be  inhabited," 

"  No  one  could  answer  more  logically  or  fairly,"  replied  the 
president.  "  The  question  then  reverts  to  this  :  Are  these  worlds 
habitable  ?     For  my  own  part  I  believe  they  are." 

"  For  myself,  I  feel  certain  of  it,"  said  Michel  Ardan. 

"  Nevertheless,"  retorted  one  of  the  audience,  "  there  are  many 
arguments  against  the  habitability  of  the  worlds.  The  conditions 
of  life  must  evidently  be  greatly  modified  upon  the  majority  of 
tliem.     To  mention  only  the  planets,  we  should  bo  either  broiled 


9^  FROM    THE   EARTH   TO    THE   MOON. 


nlive  in  some,  or  frozen  to  death  in  others,  according  as  they  are 
more. or  less  removed  from  the  sun." 

"I  regret,"  replied  Michel  Ardan,  "  that  I  have  not  the  honour 
of  personally    knowing    my    contradictor,     for    I    would    have 
attempted  to  answer  him.     His  objection  has  its  merits,  I  admit ; 
hut  I  think  we  may  successfully  combat  it,  as  well  as  all  others 
which  affect  the  habitability  of  the  other  worlds.     If  I  were  a 
natural  philosopher,  I  would  tell  him  that  if  less  of  caloric  were 
set  in  motion  upon  the  planets  which  are  nearest  to  the  sun,  and 
more,  on  the  contrary,  upon  those  which  are  farthest  removed 
from  it,  this  simple  fact  would  alone  suffice  to  equalize  the  heat, 
and  to  render  the  temperature  of  those  worlds   supportable  bv 
beings  organized  like  ourselves.     If  I  were  a  naturalist,  I  would 
tell  him  that,  according  to  some  illustrious  men  of  science,  nature 
has  furnished  us  with  instances  upon  the  earth  of  animals  existing 
under  veiy  varying  conditions  of  life  ;    that   fish    respire   in   a 
medium  fatal  to  other  animals  ;  that  amphibious  creatures  possess 
a  double   existence  very  difficult   of  explanation;    that  certain 
denizens  of  the  seas  maintain  life  at  enormous  depths,  and  there 
support  a  pressure  equal  to   that  of  fifty  or  sixty  atmospheres 
without  being  crushed  ;  that  several  aquatic  insects,  insensible  to 
temperature,  are  met  with  equally  among  boiling  springs  and  in 
the  frozen  plains  of  the  Polar  Sea  ;  in  fine,  that  w'e  cannot  help 
recognizing  in  nature  a  diversity  of  means  of  operation  oftentimes 
incomprehensible,  but  not  the  less  real.     If  I  were  a  chemist,  I 
would  tell  him  that  the  aerolites,  bodies  evidently  formed  exteriorly 
of  our  terrestrial  globe,  have,  upon  analysis,  revealed  indisputable 
traces  of  carbon,  a  substance  which  owes  its  origin  solely  to  orga- 
nized beings,  and  which,  according  to  the  experiments  of  Reichen- 
bach,  must  necessarily  itself  have  been  endued  with  animation. 
And  lastly,  were  I  a  theologian,  I  would  tell  him  that  the  scheme 
of  the  Divine  Redemption,  according  to  St.  Paul,  seems  to  be 
applicable,  not  merely  to  the  earth,  but  to  all  the  celestial  worlds. 
But,  unfortunately  I   am   neither   theologian,   nor   chemist,  nor 


I 


A    MONSTER    MEETING.  97 


raturalist,  nor  pliilosopher  ;  therefore,  in  my  absolute  ignorance  of 
the  great  laws  which  govern  the  universe,  I  confine  myself  to 
saying  in  reply,  '  I  do  not  know  whether  the  worlds  are  inhabited 
or  not ;  and  since  I  do  not  know,  /  am  going  to  see  !  ' " 

Whether  Michel  Ardan's  antagonist  hazarded  any  further  argu- 
ments or  not  it  is  impossible  to  say,  for  the  uproarious  shouts  of 
the  crowd  would  not  allow  any  expression  of  opinion  to  gain  a 
hearing.  On  silence  being  restored,  the  triumphant  orator  con- 
tented himself  with  adding  the  following  remarks  :— 

"  Gentlemen,  you  will  observe  that  1  have  but  slightly  touched 
upon  this  great  question.     There  is  another  altogether  different 
line  of  arguments  in  favour  of  the  habitability  of  the  stars,  which 
I  omit  for  the  present.    I  only  desire  to  call  attention  to  one  point. 
To  those  who  maintain  that  the  planets  arc  not  inhabited  one  may 
reply  ._you  might  be  perfectly  in  the  right,  if  you  could  only  show 
that  the  earth  is  the  best  possible  world,  spite  of  what  Voltaire  has 
said.     She  has  but  one  satellite,  while  Jupiter,  Uranus,  Saturn, 
Keptune  have  each  several,  an  advantage  by  no  means  to  be 
despised.    But  that  which  renders  our  own  globe  so  uncomfortable 
is  the  inclination  of  its  axis  to  the  plane  of  its  orbit.     Hence  the 
inequality  of  days  and  nights  ;  hence  the  disagreeable  diversity  of 
the  seasons.     On  the  surface  of  our  unhappy  spheroid  we  are 
always  either  too  hot  or  too  cold  ;  we  are  frozen  in  winter,  broiled 
in  summer  ;  it  is  the  planet  of  rheumatism,  coughs,  bronchitis  ; 
while  on  the  surface  of  Jupiter,  for  example,  where  the  axis  is  but 
slightly  inclined,  the  inhabitants  may  enjoy  uniform  temperatures 
It  possesses  zones  of  perpetual  springs,  summers,  autumns,  and 
winters  ;  every  Jovian  may  choose  for  himself  what  climate  he 
likes,  and  there  spend  the  whole  of  his  life  in  security  from  all 
variations  of  temperature.    You  will,  I  am  sure,  readily  admit  this 
superiority  of  Jupiter  over  our  own  planet,  to  say  nothing  of  his 
years,  which  each  equal  twelve  of  ours  !     Under  such  au.p.ces 
and  such  marvellous  conditions  of  existence,  it  appears  to  me  tha 
the  inhabitants  of 'so  fortunate  a  world  must  be  in  every  respect 


gS  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

superior  to  ourselves.  AH  we  require,  in  order  to  attain  to  such 
perfection,  is  the  mere  trifle  of  having  an  axis  of  rotation  less 
incUned  to  the  plane  of  its  orbit !" 

"  Hurrah  !"  roared  an  energetic  voice,  "  let  us  unite  our  efforts, 
invent  the  necessary  machines,  and  rectify  the  earth's  axis  !" 

A  thunder  of  applause  followed  this  proposal,  the  author  of 
•which  was,  of  course,  no  other  than  J.  T.  Maston.  And,  in  all 
probability,  if  the  truth  must  be  told,  if  the  Yankees  could  only 
have  found  a  point  of  application  for  it,  they  would  have  con- 
structed a  lever  capable  of  raising  the  earth  and  rectifying  its 
axis.  It  was  just  this  deficiency  which  baffled  these  daring 
mechanicians. 


ATTACK  AND   RIPOSTE.  99 


CHAPTER  XX. 

ATTACK  AND   RIPOSTE. 

As  soon  as  the  excitement  had  subsided,  the  folio-wing  words  were 
heard  uttered  in  a  strong  and  determined  voice  : — 

*'  Now  that  the  speaker  has  favoured  us  with  so  much  imagina- 
tion, would  he  be  so  good  as  to  return  to  his  subject,  and  give  iis  a 
little  practical  view  of  the  question  ?" 

All  eyes  were  directed  towards  the  person  who  spoke.  He  was 
a  little  dried-up  man,  of  an  active  figure,  with  an  American 
"goatee"  beard.  Profiting  by  the  different  movements  in  the 
crowd,  he  had  managed  by  degrees  to  gain  the  front  row  of  spec- 
tators. There,  with  arms  crossed  and  stern  gaze,  he  watched  the 
hero  of  the  meeting.  After  having  put  his  question  he  remained 
silent,  and  appeared  to  take  no  notice  of  the  thousands  of  looks 
directed  towards  himself,  nor  of  the  murmur  of  disapprobation 
excited  by  his  words.  Meeting  at  first  with  no  reply,  he  repeated 
his  question  with  marked  emphasis,  adding,  "  We  are  here  to  talk 
about  the  moon  and  not  about  the  earth." 

"  You  are  right,  sir,"  replied  Michel  Ardan  ;  "  the  discussion 
has  become  irregular.     We  will  return  to  the  moon." 

"Sir,"  said  the  unknown,  "you  pretend  that  our  satellite  is 
inhabited.  Very  good  ;  but  if  Selenites  do  exist,  that  race  of 
beings  assuredly  must  live  without  breathing,  for— I  warn  yo«  for 
your  own  sake— there  is  not  the  smallest  particle  of  air  on  the 
surface  of  the  moon." 

At  this  remark  Ardan  pushed  up  liis  shock  of  red  hair  ;  he  saw 
that  he  was  on  the  point  of  being  involved  in  a  struggle  with  this 

H  2 


lOO  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 

person  upon  the  very  gist  of  the  -whole  question.  He  looked 
sternly  at  him  in  his  turn  and  said, — 

"  Oh  !  so  there  is  no  air  in  the  moon  ?  And  pray,  if  you  are 
60  good,  who  ventures  to  affirm  that?" 

"  The  men  of  science." 

"Really?" 

"  Really." 

"  Sir,"  replied  Michel,  "  pleasantry  apart,  I  have  a  profound 
respect  for  men  of  science  who  do  possess  science,  but  a  profound 
contempt  for  men  of  science  who  do  not." 

"  Do  you  know  any  who  belong  to  the  latter  category  ?  " 

"  Decidedly.  In  France  there  are  some  who  maintain  that, 
mathematically,  a  bird  cannot  possibly  fly  ;  and  others  who  demon- 
strate theoretically  that  fishes  were  never  made  to  live  in 
water." 

"  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  persons  of  that  description,  and  I 
can  quote,  in  support  of  my  statement,  names  which  you  cannot 
refuse  deference  to." 

"  Then,  sir,  you  will  sadly  embarrass  a  poor  ignorant,  who, 
besides,  asks  nothing  better  than  to  learn." 

"  Why,  then,  do  you  introduce  scientific  questions  if  you  have 
never  studied  them  ?  "  asked  the  unknown  somewhat  coarsely. 

"  For  the  reason  that  '  he  is  always  brave  who  never  suspects 
danger.'  I  know  nothing,  it  is  true  ;  but  it  is  precisely  my  very 
weakness  which  constitutes  my  strength." 

"  Your  weakness  amounts  to  folly,"  retorted  the  unknown  in  a 
passion. 

"  All  the  better,"  replied  our  Frenchman,  "  if  it  carries  me  up 
to  the  moon" 

BSrbicane  and  his  colleagues  devoured  with  their  eyes  the  in- 
truder who  had  so  boldly  placed  himself  in  antagonism  to  their 
enterprise.  Nobody  knew  him,  and  the  president,  uneasy  as  to 
the  result  of  so  free  a  discussion,  watched  his  new  friend  with 
some  anxiety.     The  meeting  began  to  be  somewhat  fidgetty  also. 


ATTACK  AXD  RIPOSTE. 


[p.  101.1 


ATTACK  AND   RIPOS^TE.  lOI 

for  the  contest  directed  their  attention  to  the  dangers,  if  not  tbo 
actual  impossibilities,  of  the  proposed  expedition. 

"  Sir,"  replied  Ardau's  antagonist,  "  there  are  many  and  incon- 
trovertible reasons  which  prove  the  absence  of  an  atmosphere  in 
the  moon.  I  might  say  that,  a  priori,  if  one  ever  did  exist,  it 
must  have  been  absorbed  by  the  earth  ;  but  I  prefer  to  bring 
forward  indisputable  facts." 

"  Bring  them  forward  then,  sir,  as  many  as  you  please." 
"  You  know,"  said  the  stranger,  "  that  when  any  luminous  rays 
cross  a  medium  such  as  the  air,  they  are  deflected  out  of  the 
straight  line  ;  in  other  words,  they  undergo  refraction.  Well ! 
When  stars  are  occulted  by  the  moon,  their  rays,  on  grazing  the 
ed^e  of  her  disc,  exhibit  not  the  least  deviation,  nor  ofler  the 
slightest  indication  of  refraction.  It  follows,  therefore,  that 
the  moon  cannot  be  surrounded  by  an  atmosphere." 

"  In  point  of  fact,"  replied  Ardan,  "  this  is  your  chief,  if  not 
your  only  argument;  and  a  really  scientific  man  might  be  puzzled 
to  answer  it.  For  myself,  I  will  simply  say  that  it  is  defective, 
because  it  assumes  that  the  angular  diameter  of  the  moon  has  been 
completely  determined,  which  is  not  the  case.  But  let  us  proceed. 
Tell  me,  my  dear  sir,  do  you  admit  the  existence  of  volcanoes  on 
the  moon's  surface  ?  " 

"  Extinct,  yes  !     In  activity,  no  !" 

"  These  volcanoes,  however,  were  at  one  time  in  a  state  of 

activity?" 

"  True  !  but,  as  they  furnished  themselves  the  oxygen  necessary 
for  combustion,  the  mere  fact  of  their  eruption  doefe  not  prove  tlio 
presence  of  an  atmosphere." 

"  Proceed  a^-ain,  then  ;  and  let  us  set  aside  this  class  of  argu- 
ments in  order  to  come  to  direct  observations.  In  1715  the  astro- 
nomers Louville  and  Hallcy,  watching  the  eclipse  of  the  3rd  May, 
remarked  some  very  extraordinary  sciutillatious.-  These  jets  of 
light,  rapid  in  nature,  and  of  frequent  recurrence,  they  attributed 
to  thunderstorms  generated  in  the  lunar  atmosphere." 


102  FROM   THE  EARTH   TO    THE  MOON. 


"In  1715,"  replied  the  unknown,  "the  astronomers  Louville  and 
Halley  mistook  for  lunar  phenomena  some  which  were  purely 
terrestrial,  such  as  meteoric  or  other  bodies  which  are  generated 
in  our  own  atmosphere.  This  was  the  scientific  explanation  at 
the  time  of  the  facts  ;  and  that  is  my  answer  now." 

"On  again,  then,"  replied  Ardan;  "  Herschel,  in  1787,  observed 
a  great  number  of  luminous  points  on  the  moon's  surface,  did  he 
not  ?  " 

"  Yes !  but  without  offering  any  solution  of  them.  Herschel 
himself  never  inferred  from  them  the  necessity  of  a  lunar 
atmosphere.  And  I  may  add  that  Baeer  and  Maedler,  the  two 
great  authorities  upon  the  moon,  are  quite  agreed  as  to  the  entire 
absence  of  air  on  its  surface." 

A  movement  was  here  manifest  among  the  assemblage,  who 
appeared  to  be  growing  excited  by  the  arguments  of  this  singular 
personage. 

"  Let  us  proceed,"  replied  Ardan,  with  perfect  coolness,  "  and 
come  to  one  important  fact.  A  skilful  French  astronomer,  M. 
Laussedat,  in  watching  the  eclipse  of  July  18,  1860,  proved  that 
the  horns  of  the  solar  crescent  were  rounded  and  truncated.  Now, 
this  appearance  could  only  have  been  produced  by  a  deviation  of 
the  solar  rays  in  traversing  the  atmosphere  of  the  moon.  There 
is  no  other  possible  explanation  of  the  fact." 

"But  is  this  established  as  a  fact  ?" 

"  Absolutely  certain  !  " 

A  counter-movement  here  took  place  in  favour  of  the  hero  of 
the  meeting,  whose  opponent  was  now  reduced  to  silence.  Ardan 
resumed  the  conversation  j  and,  without  exhibiting  any  exultation 
at  the  advantage  he  had  gained,  simply  said,— 

"  You  see,  then,  my  dear  sir,  we  must  not  pronounce  with  abso- 
lute positiveness  against  the  existence  of  an  atmosphere  in  the 
moon.  That  atmosphere  is,  probably,  of  extreme  rarity;  never- 
theless  at  the  present  day  science  generally  admits  that  it 
exists." 


I 


ATTACK  AND    RIPOSTE.  I03 

"  Not  in  the  mouatains,  at  all  eveuts,"  returned  the  unknown, 
unwilling  to  give  in. 

**  No  !  but  at  the  bottom  of  the  valleys,  and  not  exceeding  a 
few  hundred  feet  in  height." 

"  In  any  case  you  will  do  well  to  take  every  precaution,  for  the 
air  will  be  terribly  rarified." 

"  My  good  sir,  there  will  always  be  enough  for  a  solitary  indi- 
vidual; besides,  once  arrived  up  there,  I  shall  do  my  best  to 
economize,  and  not  to  breathe  except  on  grand  occasions  !" 

A  tremendous  roar  of  laughter  rang  in  the  cars  of  the  mys- 
terious interlocutor,  who  glared  fiercely  round  upon  the  assembly. 

"  Then,"  continued  Ardan,  with  a  careless  air,  "  since  we  are 
in  accord  regarding  the  presence  of  a  certain  atmosphere,  we 
are  forced  to  admit  the  presence  of  a  certain  quantity  of  water. 
This  is  a  happy  consequence  for  me.  Moreover,  my  amiable 
contradictor,  permit  me  to  submit  to  you  one  further  observation. 
We  only  know  one  side  of  the  moon's  disc;  and  if  there  is 
but  little  air  on  the  face  presented  to  us,  it  is  possible  that  there  is 
plenty  on  the  one  turned  away  from  us." 

"  And  for  what  reason  ?  " 

"  Because  the  moon,  under  the  action  of  the  earth's  attraction, 
has  assumed  the  form  of  an  egg,  which  we  look  at  from  the 
smaller  end.  Hence  it  follows,  by  Hansen's  calculations,  that  its 
centre  of  gravity  is  situated  in  the  other  hemisphere.  Hence  it 
results  that  the  great  mass  of  air  and  water  must  have  been 
drawn  away  to  the  other  face  of  our  satellite  during  the  first 
days  of  its  creation." 

"  Pure  fancies  !  "  cried  the  unknown. 

"  No  !  Pure  theories  !  which  are  based  upon  the  laws  of 
mechanics,  and  it  seems  difficult  to  me  to  refute  tlicm.  I 
appeal  then  to  this  meeting,  and  I  put  it  to  them  whether  life, 
such  as  exists  upon  the  earth,  is  possible  on  the  surface  of 
the  moon  ?  " 

Three  hundred  thousand  auditors  at  once  applauded  the  propo- 


104  FRO^T    THE   EARTtI   TO    THE  MOON. 

sition.  Aldan's  opponent  tried  to  get  in  another  word,  btit  he 
could  not  obtain  a  hearing.  Cries  and  menaces  fell  upon  Iiim 
like  hail. 

"Enough!  enough!  "  cried  some. 

"  Drive  the  intruder  off !"  shouted  others. 

"  Turn  him  out! "  roared  the  exasperated  crowd. 

But  he,  holding  firmly  on  to  the  platform,  did  not  budge 
an  inch,  and  let  the  storm  pass  on,  which  would  soon  have 
assumed  formidable  proportions,  if  Michel  Ardan  had  not  quieted 
it  by  a  gesture.  He  was  too  chivalrous  to  abandon  his  ojDpouent 
in  an  apparent  extremity. 

"  You  wished  to  say  a  few  more  words  ? "  he  asked,  in  a 
pleasant  voice. 

"  Yes,  a  thousand;  or  rather,  no,  only  one!  If  you  persevere  in 
your  enterprise,  you  must  be  a — " 

"  Very  rash  person  !  How  can  you  treat  me  as  such  ?  me,  who 
have  demanded  a  cyllndro-conical  projectile,  in  order  to  prevent 
turning  round  and  round  on  my  way  like  a  squirrel  ?  " 

"  But,  unhappy  man,  the  dreadful  recoil  will  smash  you  to 
pieces  at  your  starting," 

"  My  dear  contradictor,  you  have  just  put  your  finger  upon  the 
true  and  the  only  difficulty;  nevertheless,  I  have  too  good  an 
opinion  of  the  industrial  genius  of  the  Americans  not  to  believe 
that  they  will  succeed  in  overcoming  it." 

"  But  the  heat  developed  by  the  rapidity  of  the  projectile 
iu  crossing  the  strata  of  air  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  the  walls  are  thick,  and  I  shall  soon  have  crossed  the 
atmos^phcre." 

"  But  victuals  and  water?" 

"  I  have  calculated  for  a  twelvemonth's  supply,  and  I  shall  be 
only  four  days  on  the  journey." 

"  But  for  air  to  breathe  on  the  road  ?  " 

**  I  shall  make  it  by  chemical  process." 

"  But  your  fall  on  the  moon,  supposing  you  ever  reach  it  ?" 


ATTACK  AND    RIP0S7E.  105 


"  It  will  be  six  times  less  dangerous  than  a  sudden  Aill  upon 
the  earth,  because  the  weight  will  be  only  one-sixth  as  great  on 
the  surface  of  the  moon." 

"  Still  it  will  be  enough  to  smash  you  like  glass  !  " 

"  What  is  to  prevent  my  retarding  the  shock  by  means 
of  rockets  conveniently  placed,  and  lighted  at  the  right 
moment?" 

"  But  after  all,  supposing  all  difficulties  surmounted,  all  obstacles 
removed,  supposing  everything  combined  to  favour  you,  and 
granting  that  you  may  arrive  safe  and  sound  in  the  moon,  how 
will  you  come  back  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  coming  back  ! " 

At  this  reply,  almost  sublime  in  its  very  simplicity,  the  assembly 
became  silent.  But  its  silence  was  more  eloquent  than  could  have 
been  its  cries  of  enthusiasm.  The  unknown  profited  by  the 
opportunity  and  once  more  protested, — 

"You  will  inevitably  kill  yourself!"  he  cried;  "and  your 
death  will  be  that  of  a  madman,  useless  even  to  science  !  " 

"  Go  on,  my  dear  unknown,  for  truly  your  prophecies  are  most 
agreeable  ! " 

"  It  really  is  too  much  !  "  cried  Michel  Ardan's  adversary.  "  I 
do  not  know  why  I  should  continue  so  frivolous  a  discussion  I 
Please  yourself  about  this  insane  expedition  !  We  need  not 
trouble  ourselves  about  you  I  " 

"  Pray  don't  stand  upon  ceremony  !" 

"  No  !  another  person  is  responsible  for  your  act." 
•     "  Who,  may  I  ask?"  demanded  Michel  Ardan  in  an  imperious 
tone. 

"  The  ignoramus  who  organized  this  equally  absurd  and  impos- 
sible experiment  !  " 

The  attack  was  direct.  Barbicane,  ever  since  the  interference 
of  the  unknown,  had  been  making  fearful  efforts  of  self-control; 
now,  however,  seeing  himself  directly  attacked,  he  could  restrain 
himself  no  longer.      He  rose  suddenly,  and  was  rubhing  upon  the 


I06  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON: 

enemy  who  thus  braved  him  to  the  face,  when  all  at  once  he 
fouud  himself  separated  from  him. 

The  platform  was  lifted  by  a  hundred  strong  arms,  and  the 
President  of  the  Gun  Club  shared  with  Michel  Ardan  triumphal 
honours.  The  shield  was  heavy,  but  the  bearers  came  in  con- 
tinuous relays,  disputing,  struggling,  even  fighting  among  them- 
selves in  their  eagerness  to  lend  their  shoulders  to  this  demon- 
stration. 

However,  the  unknown  had  not  profited  by  the  tumult  to  quit 
his  post.  Besides,  he  could  not  have  done  it  in  the  midst  of  that 
compact  crowd.  The»"e  he  held  on  in  the  front  row,  with  crossed 
arms,  glaring  at  President  Barbicane. 

The  shouts  of  the  immense  crowd  continued  at  their  hishest 
pitch  throughout  this  triumphant  march.  Michel  Ardan  took 
it  all  with  evident  pleasure.  His  face  gleamed  with  delight. 
Several  times  the  platform  seemed  seized  with  pitching  and 
rolling  like  a  weather-beaten  ship.  But  the  two  heroes  of  the 
meeting  had  good  sea-legs.  They  never  stumbled ;  and  their 
vessel  arrived  without  dues  at  the  port  of  Tampa  Town. 

Michel  Ardan  managed  fortunately  to  escape  from  the  last 
embraces  of  his  vigorous  admirers.  He  made  for  the  Hotel 
Franklin,  quickly  gained  his  chamber,  and  slid  under  the  bed- 
clothes, while  an  army  of  a  hundred  thousand  men  kept  watch 
under  his  windows. 

During  this  time  a  scene,  short,  grave,  and  decisive,  took  place 
between  the  mysterious  personage  and  the  President  of  the  Gun 
Club. 

Barbicane,  free  at  last,  had  gone  straight  at  his  adversary. 

"  Come ! "  he  said  shortly. 

The  other  followed  him  on  to  the  quay;  and  the  two  presently 
fouud  themselves  alone  at  the  entrance  of  an  open  wharf  on 
Jones'  Fall. 

The  two  enemies,  still  mutually  unknown,  gazed  at  each  other. 

'*Who  are  you?"  asked  Barbicane. 


THE  PLATFORM  WAS  SUDDENLY  CARRIED  AWAY. 


Ip.  lot] 


ATTACK  AND   RIPOSTE.  JQ-J 

"Captain  Nicholl!" 

"  So  I  suspected.  Hitherto  chaace  has  never  thrown  you  in 
ray  way." 

*'  I  am  come  for  that  purpose." 

"  You  have  insulted  me  ! " 

"Publicly!" 

"  And  you  will  answer  to  me  for  this  insult  ?  " 

"At  this  very  moment." 

"  No !  I  desire  that  all  that  passes  between  us  shall  be  secret. 
There  is  a  wood  situated  three  miles  from  Tampa,  the  wood  of 
Skersnaw.     Do  you  know  it?" 

"  I  know  it." 

"  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  enter  it  to-morrow  morning  at  five 
o'clock,  on  one  side?" 

"  Yes !  if  you  will  enter  at  the  other  side  at  the  same  hour." 

"And  you  will  not  forget  your  rifle?"  said  Barbicane. 

"  No  more  than  you  will  forget  yours,"  replied  Nicholl. 

These  words  having  been  coldly  spoken,  the  President  of  the 
Gun  Club  and  the  captain  parted.  Bai'bicane  returned  to  his 
lodging;  but,  instead  of  snatching  a  few  hours  of  repose,  he 
passed  the  night  in  endeavouring  to  discover  a  means  of  evading 
the  recoil  of  the  projectile,  and  resolving  the  difficult  problem 
pi'oposed  by  Michel  Ardan  during  the  discussion  at  the  meeting. 


I08  FROM    THE   EARTH   'JO    THE   MOON. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

HOW   A   FRENCHMAN   MANAGES   AN   AFFAIR. 

While  tlio  contract  of  this  duel  was  being  discussed  by  the 
president  and  tbe  captain — this  dreadful,  savage  duel,  in  which 
each  adversary  became  a  man-hunter — Michel  Ardan  was  resting 
from  the  fatigues  of  his  triumph.  Resting  is,  hardly  an  appropriate 
expression,  for  American  beds  rival  marble  or  granite  tables  for 
hardness. 

Ardan  was  sleeping,  then,  badly  enough,  tossing  about  between 
the  cloths  which  served  him  for  sheets,  and  he  was  dreaming  of 
making  a  more  comfortable  couch  in  his  projectile  when  a  frightful 
noise  disturbed  his  dreams.  Thundering  blows  shook  his  door. 
They  seemed  to  be  caused  by  some  iron  instrument.  A  great 
deal  of  loud  talking  was  distinguishable  in  this  racket,  which 
was  rather  too  early  in  the  morning.  "  Open  the  door,"  some  one 
shrieked,  "  for  Heaven's  sake!  "  Ardan  saw  no  reason  for  com- 
plying with  a  demand  so  roughly  expressed.  However,  he  got 
up  and  opened  the  door  just  as  it  was  giving  way  before  the 
blows  of  this  determined  visitor.  The  secretary  of  the  Gun  Club 
burst  into  the  room.  A  bomb  could  not  have  made  more  noise  or 
have  entered  the  room  Avith  less  ceremony. 

"  Last  night,"  cried  J.  T.  Maston,  ex  ahnipto,  "  our  president 
was  publicly  insulted  during  the  meeting.  He  provoked  his 
adversary,  who  is  none  other  than  Captain  Nicholl  !  They  are 
fighting  this  morning  in  the  wood  of  Skersnaw.  I  heard  all 
particulars  from  the  mouth  of  Barbicaue  himself.     If  he  is  killed, 


MASTON  BURST  INTO  THE  ROOM. 


[p.  m.] 


HOW  A    FRENCHMAN  MANAGES   AN  AFFAIR.  I09 


then  oiii*  scheme  is  at  end.  We  must  prevent  this  duel;  and  one 
man  alone  has  enough  iufluence  over  Barbicaue  to  stop  him,  and 
that  man  is  Michel  Ardan." 

While  J.  T.  Maston  was  speaking,  Michel  Ardan,  without  inter- 
rupting him,  had  hastily  put  on  his  clothes  ;  and,  in  less  than  two 
minutes,  the  two  friends  were  making  for  the  suburbs  of  Tampa 
Town  with  rapid  strides. 

It  was  during  this  walk  that  Maston  told  Ardan  the  state  of  the 
case.  He  told  him  the  real  causes  of  the  hostility  between 
Barbicane  and  Xicholl;  how  it  was  of  old  date,  aud  why,  thanks 
to  unknown  friends,  the  president  and  the  captain  had,  as  yet, 
never  met  face  to  face.  He  added  that  it  arose  simply  from  a 
rivalry  between  iron  plates  and  shot,  and,  finally,  that  the  scene 
at  the  meeting  was  only  the  long-wished-for  opportunity  for 
NichoU  to  pay  off  an  old  grudge. 

Nothing  is  more  dreadful  than  private  duels  in  America.  The 
two  adversaries  attack  each  other  like  wild  beasts.  Then  it  is 
tbat  they  might  Avell  covet  those  wonderful  properties  of  the  Indians 
of  the  prairies — their  quick  intelligence,  their  ingenious  cunning, 
their  scent  of  the  enemy.  A  single  mistake,  a  moment's  hesita- 
tion,  a  single  false  step  may  cause  death.  On  these  occasions 
Yankees  are  often  accompanied  by  their  dogs,  aud  keep  up 
the  straggle  for  hours. 

"  What  demons  you  are  !  "  cried  Michel  Ardan,  when  his  com- 
panion  had  depicted  this  scene  to  him  with  much  energy. 

"Yes  we  are,"  replied  J.  T.  modestly;  "but  we  had  better 

make  haste." 

Though  Michel  Ardan  and  he  had  crossed  the  plain  still  wet 
with  dew,  and  had  taken  the  shortest  route  over  creeks  and  rice- 
fields,  they  could  not  reach  Skersnaw  under  five  hours  and  a  half. 

Barbicane  must  have  passed  the  border  half  an  hour  ago. 

There  was  an  old  bushman  working  there,  occupied  in  selling 
fao-crots  from  trees  that  had  been  levelled  by  his  axe. 

Maston  ran  towards  him,  saying,  "Have  you  seen  a  man  go 


no  FROM    THE   EARTH   TO    THE  MOON. 

into  the  wood,  armed  with  a  rifle  ?  Barbicane,  the  president,  my 
best  friend  ?  " 

The  worthy  secretary  of  the  Gun  Club  thought  that  his  presi- 
dent must  be  known  by  all  the  world.  But  the  bushman  did  not 
eeem  to  understand  him. 

"  A  hunter  ?  "  said  Ardan. 

"  A  hunter  ?     Yes,"  replied  the  bushman. 

"  Long  ago  ?  " 

"  About  an  hour." 

"Too  late!  "  cried  Maston. 

"  Have  you  heard  any  gun-shots  ?  "  asked  Ardan. 

"  No ! " 

*  Not  one  ?  " 

"  Not  one  !  that  hunter  did  not  look  as  if  he  knew  how  to  hunt !" 

"  What  is  to  be  done  ?  "  said  Maston. 

"  We  must  go  into  the  wood,  at  the  risk  of  getting  a  ball  which 
is  not  intended  for  us." 

"Ah!"  cried  Maston,  in  a  tone  which  could  not  be  mistaken, 
*'  I  would  rather  have  twenty  balls  in  my  own  head  than  one  in 
Barbicane's." 

"  Forward,  then,"  said  Ardan,  pressing  his  companion's  hand. 

A  few  moments  later  the  two  friends  had  disappeai'cd  in  the 
copse.  It  was  a  dense  thicket,  in  whch  rose  huge  cypresses, 
sycamores,  tulip-trees,  olives,  tamarinds,  oaks,  and  magnolias. 
These  different  trees  had  interwoven  their  branches  into  an  inex- 
tricable maze,  through  which  the  eye  could  not  penetrate.  Michel 
Ardan  and  Maston  walked  side  by  side  in  silence  through  the  tall 
grass,  cutting  themselves  a  path  through  the  strong  creepers, 
casting  curious  glances  on  the  bushes,  and  momentarily  expecting 
to  hear  the  sound  of  rifles.  As  for  the  traces  which  Barbicane 
ought  to  have  left  of  his  passage  through  the  wood,  there  was  not 
a  vestige  of  them  visible:  so  they  followed  the  barely  perceptible 
paths  along  which  Indians  had  tracked  some  enemy,  and  which  the 
dense  foliage  darkly  overshadowed. 


HOW  A    FRENCHMAN  MANAGES   AN  AFFAIR.  Ill 

Aftei'  an  hour  spent  in  vain  pursuit  the  two  stopped,  in 
intensified  anxiety. 

"  It  must  be  all  over,"  said  Maston,  discouraged.  "  A  man 
like  Barbicaue  would  not  dodge  with  his  enemy,  or  ensnare  him, 
Avould  not  even  manoeuvre  !  He  is  too  open,  too  brave.  He  has 
gone  straight  ahead,  right  into  the  danger,  and  doubtless  far 
enough  from  the  bushman  for  the  wind  to  prevent  his  hearing  the 
report  of  the  rifles." 

"  But  surely,"  replied  Michel  Ardan,  "  since  wo  entered  tho 
wood  we  should  have  heard!  " 

"  And  what  if  we  came  too  late  ?  "  cried  Maston  in  tones  of 
despair. 

For  once  Ardan  had  no  reply  to  make,  he  and  Maston  resuming 
their  walk  in  silence.  From  time  to  time,  indeed,  they  raised 
great  shouts,  calling  alternately  Barbicane  and  Nicholl,  neither 
of  whom,  however,  answered  their  cries.  Only  the  birds,  awa- 
kened by  the  sound,  flew  past  them  and  disappeared  among  tho 
branches,  while  some  frightened  deer  fled  precipitately  before  them. 

For  another  hour  their  search  was  continued.  The  greater  part 
of  the  wood  had  been  explored.  There  was  nothing  to  reveal  the 
presence  of  the  combatants.  The  information  of  the  bushman 
was  after  all  doubtful,  and  Ardan  was  about  to  propose  their  aban- 
doning this  useless  pursuit,  when  all  at  once  Maston  stopped. 

"  Hush  !  "  said  he,  "  there  is  some  one  down  there  !  " 

"  Some  one  ?  "  repeated  Michel  Ardan. 

"  Yes  ;  a  man  !  He  seems  motionless.  His  rifle  is  not  in  his 
hands.     What  can  he  be  doing?  " 

"  But  can  you  recognize  him  ?  "  asked  Ardan,  whose  short 
sight  was  of  little  use  to  him  in  such  circumstances. 

"  Yes  !  yes !     He  is  turning  towards  us,"  answered  Maston. 

"  And  it  is  ?  " 

"  Captain  Nicholl !  " 

"IS'ichoU?"  cried  Michel  Ardan,  feeling  a  terrible  pang  of 

grief. 


112  FROM   THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

"  NichoU  unarmed  !  He  has,  then,  no  longer  any  fear  of  his 
adversary!" 

"  Let  us  go  to  hina,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  "  and  find  out  the 
truth." 

But  he  aud  his  companion  had  barely  taken  fifty  steps  when 
they  paused  to  examine  the  captain  more  attentively.  They  ex- 
pected to  find  a  bloodthirsty  man,  happy  in  his  revenge ! 

On  seeing  him,  they  remained  stupefied. 

A  net,  composed  of  very  fine  meshes,  hung  between  two 
enormous  tulip-trees,  and  in  the  midst  of  this  snare,  with  its 
wings  entangled,  was  a  poor  little  bird,  uttering  pitiful  cries, 
while  it  vainly  struggled  to  escape.  The  bird-catcher  who  had 
laid  this  snare  was  no  human  being,  but  a  venomous  spider, 
peculiar  to  that  country,  as  large  as  a  pigeon's  egg,  and  armed 
with  enormous  claws.  The  hideous  ci'eature,  instead  of  rushing 
on  its  prey,  had  beaten  a  sudden  retreat  and  taken  refuge  in  the 
upper  branches  of  the  tulip-tree,  for  a  formidable  enemy  menaced 
its  stronghold. 

Here,  then,  was  Nicholl,  his  gun  on  the  ground,  forgetful  of 
danger,  trying  if  possible  to  save  the  victim  from  its  cobweb 
prison.  At  last  it  was  accomplished,  and  the  little  bird  flew 
joyfully  away  and  disappeared. 

Nicholl  lovingly  watched  its  flight,  when  he  heard  these  words 
pronounced  by  a  voice  full  of  emotion, — 

"  You  are  indeed  a  brave  man  !  " 

He  turned.  Michel  Ardan  was  before  him,  repeating  in  a 
diflxu'ent  tone, — 

"And  a  kindhearted  one  !  " 

"  Michel  Ardan  !  "  cried  the  captain.     "  Why  are  you  here  ?" 

"  To  press  your  hand,  Nicholl,  and  to  prevent  you  from  either 
killing  Barbicane  or  being  killed  by  him." 

"Barbicane  !"  returned  the  captain.  I  have  been  looking  for 
him  for  the  last  two  hours  in  vain.     Where  is  he  hiding  ?  " 

"Nicholl!"  said  Michel  Ardan,    "this  is  not  courteous!  we 


IN  THE  MIDST  OF  THIS  SNAKE  WAS  A  POOU  LITTLE  BlUD. 

[,..  112.] 


HOW   A    FRENCHMAN  MANAGES  AN  AFFAIR.  II3 

ought  always  to  treat  an  adversary  with  respect ;  rest  assured  if 
Barbicane  is  still  alive  we  shall  fiud  him  all  the  more  ea,sily  ; 
because  if  he  has  not,  like  you,  been  amusing  himself  with  freeing 
oppressed  birds,  he  must  bo  looking  for  you.  When  we  have 
found  him,  Michel  Ardan  tells  you  this,  there  will  be  no  duel 
between  you." 

"  Between  President  Barbicane  and  myself,"  gravely  replied 
NichoU,  "  there  is  a  rivalry  which  the  death  of  one  of  us — " 

"  Pooh,  pooh  !  "  said  Ardan.  "  Bravo  fellows  like  you  indeed  ! 
you  shall  not  fight !  " 

"  I  will  fight,  sir !  " 

«  No ! " 

"  Captain,"  said  J.  T.  Maston,  with  much  feeling,  "  I  am  a 
friend  of  the  president's,  his  alter  ego,  his  second  self;  if  you 
really  must  kill  some  one,  shoot  me  !  it  will  do  just  as  well !  " 

"  Sir,"  NichoU  replied,  seizing  his   rifle  convulsively,  "  these 

jokes — " 

"  Our  friend  Maston  is  not  joking,"  replied  Ardan.  "  I  fully 
understand  his  idea  of  being  killed  himself  in  order  to  save  his 
friend.  But  neither  he  nor  Barbicane  will  fall  before  the  balls  of 
Captain  NichoU.  Indeed  I  have  so  attractive  a  proposal  to  make 
to  the  two  rivals,  that  both  will  be  eager  to  accept  it." 

«  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  NichoU  with  manifest  incredulity. 

"  Patience  !  "  exclaimed  Ardan.  "  I  can  only  reveal  it  in  the 
presence  of  Barbicane." 

"  Let  us  go  in  search  of  him  then !  "  cried  the  captain. 

The  three  men  started  off  at  once  ;  the  captain  having  dis- 
chaiged  his  rifle  threw  it  over  his  shoulder,  and  advanced  in 

silence. 

Another  half-hour  passed,  and  the  pursuit  was  still  fruitless. 
Maston  was  oppressed  by  sinister  forebodings.  He  looked  fiercely 
at  NichoU,  asking  himself  whether  the  captain's  vengeance  had 
been  already  satisfied,  and  the  unfortunate  Barbicane,  shot,  was 
perhaps    lying  dead  on  some  bloody  track.     The  same   thought 


114  FROM   THE  EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 


eccmed  to  occur  to  Ardan  ;   aud  both   were   casting   inquiring 
glances  on  NiclioU,  when  suddenly  Maston  paused. 

The  motionless  figure  of  a  man  leaning  against  a  gigantic 
catalpa  twenty  feet  off  appeared,  half-veiled  by  the  foliage. 

"  It  is  he  !  "  said  Maston. 

Barbicane  never  moved.  Ardan  looked  at  the  captain,  but  he 
did  not  wince.     Ardan  went  forward  crying, — 

"  Barbicane,  Barbicane !  " 

No  answer !  Ardan  rushed  towards  his  friend  ;  but  in  tbe  act 
of  seizing  his  arms,  he  stopped  short  and  uttered  a  cry  of  surprise. 

Barbicane,  pencil  in  hand,  was  tracing  geometrical  figures  in  a 
memorandum  book,  whilst  his  unloaded  rifle  lay  beside  him  on  the 
ground. 

Absorbed  in  his  studies,  Barbicane,  in  his  turn  forgetful  of  the 
duel,  had  seen  and  heard  nothing. 

When  Ardan  took  his  hand,  he  looked  up  and  stared  at  his 
visitor  in  astonishment. 

"  Ah,  it  is  you  !  "  he  cried  at  last.  "  I  have  found  it,  my  friend, 
I  have  found  it !  " 

"What?" 

"  My  plan !  "  • 

"What  plan?" 

"  The  plan  for  couTiteractlng  the  effect  of  the  shock  at  the 
departure  of  the  projectile  !  " 

"  Indeed  ? "  said  Michel  Ardan,  looking  at  the  captain  out  of 
the  corner  of  his  eye. 

"  Yes  !  water !  simply  water,  which  will  act  as  a  spring — ah ! 
Maston,"  cried  Barbicane,  "  you  here  also  ?  " 

"  Himself,"  replied  Ardan  ;  and  permit  me  to  introduce  to  you 
at  the  same  time  the  woi^thy  Captain  Nicholl !  " 

"  Nicholl !  "  cried  Barbicane,  who  jumped  up  at  once.  "Pardon 
me,  captain,  I  had  quite  forgotten — I  am  i-eady !  " 

Michel  Ardan  interfered,  without  giving  the  two  enemies  time 
to  say  anything  more. 


"GO    WITH    ME,   AND    SEE    WHETHER    WE    AKE    STOPPED 
ON    OUR    JOURNEY.' 


[p.  115.] 


HOW  A    FRENCHMAN  MANAGES  AN  AFFAIR.  II5 

"  Thank  Heaven  !"  said  he.  "  It  is  a  happy  thing  that  brave 
men  like  you  two  did  not  meet  sooner !  we  should  now  have  been 
mourning  for  one  or  other  of  you.  But,  thanks  to  Providence, 
which  has  interfered,  there  is  now  no  further  cause  for  alarm. 
"When  one  forgets  one's  anger  in  mechanics  or  in  cobwebs,  it  is  a 
sign  that  the  anger  is  not  dangerous." 

Michel  Ardan  then  told  the  president  how  the  captain  had  been 
found  occupied. 

"  I  put  it  to  you  now,"  said  he  in  conclusion,  "  are  two  such 
good  fellows  as  you  are  made  on  purpose  to  smash  each  other's 
skulls  with  shot  ?  " 

There  was  in  "  the  situation  "  somewhat  of  the  ridiculous,  some- 
thing quite  unexpected  ;  Michel  Ardan  saw  this,  and  determined 
to  effect  a  reconciliation. 

"  My  good  friends,"  said  he,  with  his  most  bewitching  smile, 
"  this  is  nothing  but  a  misunderstanding.  Nothing  more  !  well  ! 
to  prove  that  it  is  all  over  between  you,  accept  frankly  the 
proposal  I  am  going  to  make  to  you." 

"  Make  it,"  said  Nicholl. 

"Our  friend  Barbicane  believes  that  V^'^  projectile  will  go 
straight  to  the  moon  ?  " 

"  Yes,  certainly,"  replied  the  president. 

"  And  our  friend  Nicholl  is  persuaded  it  will  fall  back  upon  the 

earth  ?  " 

"  I  am  certain  of  it,"  cried  the  captain. 

*'  Good  !"  said  Ardan.  "  I  cannot  pretend  to  make  you  agree  ; 
but  I  suggest  this  :— Go  with  me,  and  so  see  whether  we  ai'O 
stopped  on  our  journey." 

"  What  ?  "  exclaimed  J.  T.  Maston,  stupefied. 

The  two  rivals,  on  this  sudden  proposal,  looked  steadily  at  each 
other.  Barbicane  waited  for  the  captain's  answer.  Nicholl  watched 
for  the  decision  of  the  president. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  Michel.     "  There  is  now  no  fear  of  the  shock 

"Done!"  cried  Barbicane. 

I  2 


I'  I" 


Il6  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

But  quickly  as  he  pronounced  the  word,  he  was  not  before 
Nicholl. 

"  Hurrah  !  bravo  !  hip  !  hip  !  hurrah  ! "  cried  Michel,  giving  a 
hand  to  each  of  the  late  adversaries.  "  Now  that  it  is  all  settled, 
my  friends,  allow  me  to  treat  you  after  French  fashion.  Let  us 
be  off  to  breakfast ! " 


THE  NEW   CITIZEN  OF   THE    UNITED   STATE:i.  II7 


CHAPTER  XXn. 

THE   NEW    CITIZEN    OF    TUE    UNITED    STATES. 

That  same  day  all  America  heard  of  the  affair  of  Captain  NichoU 
aud  President  Barbicane,  as  well  as  its  singular  denouement. 
From  that  day  forth,  Michel  Ardan  had  not  one  moment's  rest. 
Deputations  from  all  corners  of  the  Union  harassed  him  without 
cessation  or  intermission.  He  was  compelled  to  receive  them  all, 
whether  he  would  or  no.  How  many  hands  he  shook,  how  many 
people  he  was  "hail-follow-well-met"  with,  it  is  impossible  to 
guess  !  Such  a  triumphal  result  would  have  intoxicated  any  other 
man  ;  but  he  managed  to  keep  himself  in  a  state  of  delightful 
se7«i-tipsiness. 

Among  the  deputations  of  all  kinds  which  assailed  him,  that  of 
"  The  Lunatics  "  were  careful  not  to  forget  what  they  owed  to  tho 
future  conqueror  of  the  moon.  One  day,  certain  of  these  poor 
people,  so  numerous  in  America,  came  to  call  upon  him,  and 
requested  permission  to  return  with  him  to  their  native  country. 

"Singular  hallucination!"  said  he  to  Barbicane,  after  having 
dismissed  the  deputation  with  promises  to  convey  numbers  of  mes- 
sages to  friends  in  the  moon.  "  Do  you  believe  in  the  influence  of 
the  moon  upon  distempers  ?  " 

"Scarcely!" 

"No  more  do  I,  despite  some  remarkable  recorded  facts  of 
history.  For  instance,  during  an  epidemic  in  1693,  a  large  number 
of  persons  died  at  the  very  moment  of  an  eclipse.  The  celebrated 
Bacon  always  fainted  during  an  eclipse.  Charles  VI.  relapsed  six 
times  into  madness  during  the  year  1399,  sometimes  during  the 


/ 


Il8  FROM   THE  EARTH   TO    THE  MOON: 


I 


new,  sometimes  during  the  full  moon.  Gall  observed  that  insane 
persons  underwent  an  accession  of  their  disorder  twice  in  every 
month,  at  the  epochs  of  new  and  full  moon.  In  fact,  numerous 
observations  made  upon  fevers,  somnambulisms,  and  other  human 
maladies,  seem  to  prove  that  the  moon  does  exercise  some  myste- 
rious influence  upon  man." 

"  But  the  how  and  the  wherefore  ?"  asked  Barbicane. 

"  Well,  I  can  only  give  you  the  answer  which  Arago  borrowed 
from  Plutarch,  which  is  nineteen  centuries  old.  'Perhaps  the 
stories  are  not  true  ! '" 

In  the  height  of  his  triumph,  Michel  Ardan  had  to  encounter  all 
the  annoyances  incidental  to  a  man  of  celebrity.  Managers  of 
entertainments  Avanted  to  exhibit  him.  Barnum  offered  him  a 
million  dollars  to  make  the  tour  of  the  United  States  in  his  show. 
As  for  his  photographs,  they  were  sold  of  all  sizes,  and  his  portrait 
taken  in  every  imaginable  posture.  More  than  half  a  million 
copies  were  disposed  of  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time. 

But  it  was  not  only  the  men  who  paid  him  homage,  but  the 
women  also.  He  might  have  married  well  a  hundred  times  over, 
if  he  had  been  willing  to  settle  in  life.  The  old  maids,  in  particular, 
of  forty  years  and  upwards,  and  dry  in  proportion,  devoured  his 
photographs  day  and  night.  They  would  have  married  him  by 
hundreds,  even  if  he  had  imposed  upon  them  the  condition  of 
accompanying  him  into  space.  He  had,  however,  no  intention  of 
transplanting  a  race  of  Franco- Americans  upon  the  surface  of  the 
moon. 

He  therefore  declined  all  offers. 

As  soon  as  he  could  withdraw  from  these  somewhat  embarrassing 
demonstrations,  he  went,  accompanied  by  his  friends,  to  pay  a  visit 
to  the  Columbiad.  He  was  highly  gratified  by  his  inspection,  and 
made  the  descent  to  the  bottom  of  the  tube  of  this  gigantic  machine 
which  was  presently  to  launch  him  to  the  regions  of  the  moon. 

It  is  necessary  here  to  mention  a  proposal  of  J.  T.  Maston's. 
When  the  secretary  of  the  Gun  Club  found  that  Barbicane  and 


THE   NEW  CITIZEN  OF   THE    UNITED   STATES.  II9 

Nicholl  accepted  the  proposal  of  Michel  Ardan,  he  determined  to 
join  them,  and  make  one  of  a  snug  party  of  four.  So  one  day 
he  determined  to  be  admitted  as  one  of  the  travellers.  Barbicanc, 
pained  at  having  to  refuse  him,  gave  him  clearly  to  understand 
that  the  projectile  could  not  possibly  contain  so  many  passengers. 
Maston,  in  despair,  went  in  search  of  Michel  Ardan,  who  coun- 
selled him  to  resign  himself  to  the  situation,  addiug  one  or  two 
arguments  ad  hominem. 

"  You  see,  old  fellow,"  ho  said,  "  you  must  not  take  ^'hat  I  say 
in  bad  part ;  but  really,  between  ourselves,  you  are  in  too  incom- 
plete a  condition  to  appear  in  the  moon  ! " 

"Incomplete  ?  "  shrieked  the  valiant  invalid. 

"  Yes,  my  dear  fellow  !  imagine  our  meeting  some  of  the 
inhabitants  up  there  !  Would  you  like  to  give  them  such  a 
melancholy  notion  of  what  goes  on  down  here  ?  to  teach  them 
what  war  is,  to  inform  them  that  we  employ  our  time  chiefly  in 
devouring  each  other,  in  smashing  arms  and  legs,  and  that  too  on 
a  globe  which  is  capable  of  supporting  a  hundred  billions  of 
inhabitants,  and  which  actually  does  contain  nearly  two  hundred 
millions  ?  Why,  my  worthy  friend,  we  should  have  to  turn  you 
out  of  doors  !  " 

"  But  still,  if  you  arrive  there  in  pieces,  you  will  be  as  incom- 
plete as  I  am." 

"  Unquestionably,"  replied   INIichel   Ardan  ;     "  but   we   shall 

not." 

In  fact,  a  preparatory  experiment,  tried  on  the  18th  October, 
had  yielded  the  best  results  and  caused  the  most  well-grounded 
hopes  of  success.  Barbicane,  desirous  of  obtaining  some  notion  of 
the  effect  of  the  shock  at  the  moment  of  the  projectile's  departure, 
had  procured  a  38-inch  mortar  from  the  arsenal  of  Pensacola. 
He  had  this  placed  on  the  bank  of  Hillisborough  Roads,  in  order 
that  the  shell  might  fall  back  into  the  sea,  and  the  shock  be 
thereby  destroyed.  His  object  was  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  the 
shock  of  departure,  and  not  that  of  the  return. 


T20  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 


A  hollow  projectile  had  been  prepared  for  this  curious  experi- 
ment. A  thick  padding  fastened  upon  a  kind  of  elastic  network, 
made  of  the  best  steel,  lined  the  inside  of  the  walls.  It  was  a 
veritable  nest  most  carefully  wadded. 

"  What  a  pity  I  can't  find  room  in  there,"  said  J.  T.  Maston, 
regretting  that  his  height  did  not  allow  of  his  trying  the  ad- 
venture. 

Within  this  shell  were  shut  up  a  large  cat,  and  a  squirrel  belong- 
ing to  J.  T.  Maston,  and  of  which  he  was  particularly  fond.  They 
were  desirous,  however,  of  ascertaining  how  this  little  animal, 
least  of  all  others  subject  to  giddiness,  would  endure  this  experi- 
mental voj'agc. 

The  mortar  was  charged  with  160Jbs.  of  powder,  and  the  shell 
placed  in  the  chamber.  On  being  fired,  the  projectile  rose  with 
great  velocity,  described  a  majestic  parabola,  attained  a  height  of 
about  a  thousand  feet,  and  with  a  graceful  curve  descended  in  the 
midst  of  the  vessels  that  lay  there  at  anchor. 

Without  a  moment's  loss  of  time  a  small  boat  put  off  in  the 
direction  of  its  fall;  some  active  divers  plunged  into  the  water  and 
attached  ropes  to  the  handles  of  the  shell,  which  was  quickly 
dragged  on  board.  Five  minutes  did  not  elapse  between  the 
moment  of  enclosing  the  animals  and  that  of  unscrewing  the 
coverlid  of  their  prison. 

Ardan,  Barbicane,  Maston,  and  Nicholl  were  present  on  board 
the  boat,  and  assisted  at  the  operation  witli  an  interest  which  may 
readily  be  comprehended.  Hardly  had  the  shell  been  opened 
when  the  cat  leaped  out,  slightly  bruised,  but  full  of  life,  and 
exhibiting  no  signs  whatever  of  having  made  an  aerial  expedi- 
tion. No  trace,  however,  of  the  squirrel  could  be  discovered. 
The  truth  at  last  became  apparent ; — the  cat  had  eaten  its  fellow- 
traveller  ! 

J.  T.  Maston  grieved  much  for  the  loss  of  his  poor  squirrel, 
and  proposed  to  add  its  case  to  that  of  other  martyrs  to  science. 

After   this   experiment   all   hesitation,   all    fear    disappeared. 


THE    CAT    TAKEN    OUT    OF    THE    SHELL. 


I  p.  120.] 


THE    AKRIVAL    OF    THE    PilOJECTILE    AT    STONE'S    lUl.U 


THE  PROJECTILE    VEHICLE. 


tubes  were  conii)letely  concealed  ;  thus  all  imaginable  precautions 
had  been  taken  for  averting  the  first  shock  ;  and  if  they  did  get 
crushed,  they  must,  as  Michel  Ardan  ir^aid,  be  made  of  very  bad 
materials. 

The  entrance  into  this  metallic  tower  Avas  by  a  narrow  aper- 
ture contrived  in  the  wall  of  the  cone.  This  was  hermetically 
closed  by  a  plate  of  aluminium,  fastened  internally  by  powerful 
screw-pressure.  The  travellers  could  therefore  quit  their  prison 
at  pleasure,  as  soon  as  they  should  reach  the  moon. 

Light  and  view  were  given  by  means  of  four  thick  lenticular 
glass  scuttles,  two  pierced  in  the  circular  wall  itself,  the  third  in 
the  bottom,  the  fourth  in  the  top.     These  scuttles  then  were  pro- 
tected against  the  shock  of  departure  by  plates  let   into   solid 
grooves,  which  could  easily  be  opened  outwards  by  unscrewing 
them  from  the  inside.     Reservoirs  firmly  fixed  contained  water 
and  the  necessary  provisions;  and  fire  and  light  were  procurable 
by  means  of  gas,  contained  in  a  special  reservoir  under  a  pressure 
of  several  atmospheres.     They  had  only  to  turn  a  tap,  and  for 
six  hours  the  gas  would  light  and  warm  this  comfortable  vehicle. 
There  now  remained  only  the  question  of  air ;  for  allowing  for 
the  consumption  of  air  by  Barbicane,  his   two  companions,  and 
two  dogs  which  he  purposed  taking  with  him,  it  was  necessary  to 
renew  the  air  of  the  projectile.     Now  air  consists  principally  of 
twenty-one  parts  of  oxygen  and  seventy-nine  of  nitrogen.     The 
lungs  absorb  the  oxygen,  which  is  indispensable  for  the  support 
of  life,  and  reject  the  nitrogen.     The  air  expired  loses  nearly  five 
per  cent,  of  the  former  and  contains  nearly  an  equal  volume  of 
carbonic  acid,  produced  by  the  combustion  of  the  elements  of  tho 
blood.     In  an  air-tight  enclosure,  then,  after  a  certain  time,  all 
the  oxygen  of  the  air  will  be  replaced  by  the  carbonic  acid— a 
gas  fatal  to  life.     There  were  two  things  to  be  done  then— first, 
to  replace  the  absorbed  oxygen ;  secondly,  to  destroy  the  expired 
carbonic  acid ;  both  easy  enough  to  do,  by  means  of  chlorate  of 
potass  and  caustic  potash.     The  former  is  a  salt  which  appears 


124  PROM   THE   EAR  TIT   TO    THE  MOON: 

under  the  form  of  white  crystals ;  when  raised  to  a  temperature 
of  400°  it  is  transformed  into  clilorure  of  potassium,  and  the 
oxygen  which  it  contains  is  entirely  libei'ated.  Now  twenty- 
eight  pounds  of  chlorate  of  potass  produce  seven  pounds  of 
oxygen,  or  2400  litres — the  quantity  necessary  for  the  travellers 
during  twenty-four  hours. 

Caustic  potash  has  a  great  affinity  for  carbonic  acid ;  and  it  is 
sufficient  to  shake  it  in  order  for  it  to  seize  upon  the  acid  and 
form  bi-carbonate  of  potass.  By  these  two  means  they  would  be 
enabled  to  restore  to  the  vitiated  air  its  life-supporting  properties. 

It  is  necessary,   however,   to  add   that   the    experiments    had 
hitherto  been  made  in  anima  vili.    Whatever  its  scientific  accuracy 
was,  they  were  at  present  ignorant  how  it  would  answer  with 
human  beings.     The  honour  of  putting  it  to  the  proof  was  ener 
getically  claimed  by  J.  T.  Maston. 

"  Since  I  am  not  to  go,"  said  the  brave  artillerist,  "  I  may  at 
least  live  for  a  week  in  the  projectile." 

It  would  have  been  hard  to  refuse  him ;  so  they  consented  to 
his  wish.  A  sufficient  quantity  of  chlorate  of  potass  and  of 
caustic  potash  was  placed  at  his  disposal,  together  with  provisions 
for  eight  days.  And  having  shaken  hands  with  his  friends,  on 
the  12th  November,  at  six  o'clock  a.m.,  after  strictly  informing 
them  not  to  open  his  prison  before  the  20th,  at  six  o'clock  p.m., 
he  slid  down  the  projectile,  the  plate  of  which  was  at  once  her- 
metically sealed.  What  did  he  do  with  himself  during  that  week  ? 
They  could  get  no  information.  The  thickness  of  the  walls  of 
the  projectile  prevented  any  sound  reaching  from  the  inside  to 
the  outside.  On  the  20th  of  November,  at  six  p.m.  exactly,  the 
plate  was  opened.  The  friends  of  J.  T.  Maston  had  been  all 
along  in  a  state  of  much  anxiety ;  but  they  were  promptly  re- 
assured on  hearing  a  jolly  voice  shouting  a  boisterous  hurrah. 

Presently  afterwards  the  secretary  of  the  Gun  Chib  appeared 
at  the  top  of  the  cone  in  a  triumphant  attitude.     He  had  grown  " 
fat! 


THE    TELESCOPE   OF    THE   ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.  '    I25 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE    TELESCOPE    OF    THE    ROCKY   MOUNTAINS. 

On  the  20th  October  in  the  preceding  year,  after  the  close  of 
the  subscription,  the  president  of  the  Gun  Club  had  credited  the 
Observatory  of  Cambridge  with  the  necessary  sums  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  gigantic  optical  instrument.  This  instrument  was 
designed  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  visible  on  the  surface  of  the 
moon  any  object  exceeding  nine  feet  in  diameter. 

At  the  period  when  the  Gun  Club  essayed  their  great  experi- 
ment, such  instruments  had  reached  a  high  degree  of  perfection, 
and  produced  some  magnificent  results.  Two  telescopes  in  par- 
ticular, at  this  time,  were  possessed  of  remarkable  power  and  of 
gigantic  dimensions.  The  first,  constructed  by  Ilerschcl,  was  thirty- 
six  feet  in  length,  and  had  an  object-glass  of  four  feet  six  inches;  it 
possessed  a  magnifying  power  of  6000.  The  second  was  raised 
in  Ireland,  in  Parsonstown  Park,  and  belongs  to  Lord  Rosse.  The 
length  of  this  tube  is  forty-eight  feet,  and  the  diameter  of  its  object- 
glass  six  feet ;  it  magnifies  6400  times,  and  required  an  immense 
erection  of  brickwork  and  masonry  for  the  purpose  of  working  it, 
its  weight  being  twelve  tons  and  a  half. 

Still,  despite  these  colossal  dimensions,  the  actual  enlargements 
scarcely  exceeded  6000  times  in  round  numbers  ;  consequently, 
the  moon  was  brought  within  no  nearer  an  apparent  distance  than 
thirty-nine  miles;  and  objects  of  less  than  sixty  feet  in  diametei-, 
unless  they  were  of  very  considerable  length,  were  still  impercep- 
tible. 

In  the  present  case,  dealing  with  a  projectile  nine  feet  in 
diameter  and  fifteen  feet  long,  it  became  necessary  to  bring  the 


126  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

moon  within  an  apparent  distance  of  five  miles  at  most;  and,  for 
that  purpose,  to  establish  a  magnifying  power  of  48,000  times. 

Such  was  the  question  proposed  to  the  Observatory  of  Cam- 
bridge. There  was  no  lack  of  funds  ;  the  difficulty  was  purely  one 
of  construction. 

After  considerable  discussion  as  to  the  best  form  and  principle 
of  the  proposed  instrument  the  work  was  finally  commenced. 
According  to  the  calculations  of  the  Observatory  of  Cambridge, 
the  tube  of  the  new  reflector  would  require  to  be  280  feet  in 
length,  and  the  object-glass  sixteen  feet  in  diameter.  Colossal  as 
these  dimensions  may  appear,  they  were  diminutive  in  comparison 
with  the  10,000  foot  telescope  proposed  by  the  astronomer  Hooke 
only  a  few  years  ago  ! 

Regarding  the  choice  of  locality,  that  matter  was  promptly 
determined.  The  object  was  to  select  some  lofty  mountain,  and 
there  are  not  many  of  these  in  the  United  States.  In  fact  there 
are  but  two  chains  of  moderate  elevation,  between  which  runs  the 
magnificent  Mississippi,  the  "  king  of  rivers,"  as  these  Republican 
Yankees  delight  to  call  it. 

Eastwards  rise  the  Apalachians,  the  very  highest  point  of 
which,  in  New  Hampshire,  does  not  exceed  the  very  moderate 
altitude  of  5600  feet. 

On  the  west,  however,  rise  the  Rocky  Mountains,  that  immense 
range  which,  commencing  at  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  follows  the 
western  coast  of  Southern  America  under  the  name  of  the  Andes 
or  the  Cordilleras,  until  it  crosses  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and 
runs  up  the  whole  of  North  America  to  the  very  borders  of  the 
Polar  Sea.  The  highest  elevation  of  this  range  still  does  not 
exceed  10,700  feet.  With  this  elevation,  nevertheless,  the  Gun 
Club  Avere  compelled  to  be  content,  inasmuch  as  they  had  deter- 
mined that  both  telescope  and  Col umbiad  should  be  erected  within 
the  limits  of  the  Union.  All  the  necessaiy  apparatus  was  conse- 
quently sent  on  to  the  summit  of  Long's  Peak,  in  the  territory  of 
Missouri. 


THE  TELESCOPE  OF  THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAIIT3. 


[p.  137.] 


THE    TELESCOPE   OF   THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAINS.  1 27 


Neither  pen  uor  language  can  describe  the  clUricultics  of  all  kinds 
which  the  American  engineers  had  to  surmount,  or  the  prodigies 
of  daring  and  skill  which  they  accompliyhed.  They  had  to  raiso 
enoiTuous  stones,  massive  pieces  of  wrought  iron,  heavy  corner- 
clamps  and  huge  portions  of  cylinder,  with  an  object-glass  weigh- 
ing nearly  30,0001bs.,  above  the  line  of  perpetual  snow  for  more  than 
10,000  feet  in  height,  after  crossing  desert  prairies,  impenetrable 
forests,  fearful  lapids,  far  from  all  centres  of  population,  and  in 
the  midst  of  savage  regions,  in  which  every  detail  of  life  becomes 
an  almost  insoluble  problem.  And  yet,  notwithstanding  these 
innumerable  obstacles,  American  genius  triumphed.  In  less 
than  a  year  after  the  commencement  of  tho  works,  towards  the 
close  of  September,  the  gigantic  reflector  rose  into  the  air  to  a 
height  of  280  feet.  It  was  raised  by  means  of  an  enormous  iron 
crane ;  an  ingenious  mechanism  allowed  it  to  be  easily  worked 
towards  all  the  points  of  the  heavens,  and  to  follow  the  stars  from 
the  one  horizon  to  the  other  during  their  journey  through  tho 
heavens. 

It  had  cost  400,000  dollars.  The  first  time  it  was  directed 
towards  the  moon,  the  observers  evinced  both  curiosity  and 
anxiety.  What  were  they  about  to  discover  in  the  field  of  thi^; 
telescope  which  magnified  objects  48,000  times  ?  Would  they 
perceive  peoples,  herds  of  lunar  animals,  towns,  lakes,  seas  ?  No! 
there  was  nothing  which  science  had  not  already  discovered !  and 
on  all  the  points  of  its  disc  the  volcanic  nature  of  the  moon  became 
determinable  with  the  utmost  precision. 

But  the  telescope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  before  doing  its 
duty  to  the  Gun  Club,  rendered  immense  services  to  astronomy. 
Thanks  to  its  penetrative  power,  the  depths  of  the  heavens  were 
sounded  to  the  utmost  extent;  the  apparent  diameter  of  a  great 
number  of  stars  was  accurately  measured;  and  Mr.  Clark,  of  tho 
Cambridge  staff,  resolved  the  Crab  nebula  in  Taurus,  which  the 
reflector  of  Lord  Eosse  had  never  been  able  to  decompose. 


128  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON: 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

FINAL   DETAILS. 

It  was  the  22ncl  of  November;  the  departure  was  to  take  place 
in  ten  days.  One  operation  alone  remained  to  be  accom- 
plished to  bring  all  to  a  happy  termination;  an  operation  delicate 
and  perilous,  requiring  infinite  precautions,  and  against  the  suc- 
cess of  Avhich  Captain  Nicholl  had  laid  his  third  bet.  It  Avas,  in 
fact,  nothing  less  than  the  loading  of  the  Columbiad,  and  the 
introduction  into  it  of  400,000  pounds  of  gun-cotton.  !Nicholl 
had  thought,  not  perhaps  without  reason,  that  the  handling 
of  such  formidable  quantities  of  pyroxyle  would,  in  all  proba- 
bility, involve  a  grave  catastrophe;  and  at  any  rate,  that  this 
immense  mass  of  eminently  inflammable  matter  would  inevit- 
ably ignite  when  submitted  to  the  pressure  of  the  projectile. 

There  were  indeed  dangers  accruing"  as  before  from  the  care- 
lessness of  the  Americans,  but  Barbicane  had  set  his  heart  on 
success,  and  took  all  possible  precautions.  In  the  first  place,  ho 
was  very  careful  as  to  the  transportation  of  the  gun-cotton  to 
Stones  Hill.  He  had  it  conveyed  in  small  quantities,  carefully 
packed  in  sealed  cases.  These  were  brought  by  rail  from  Tampa 
ToAvn  to  the  camp,  and  from  thence  were  taken  to  the  Columbiad 
by  barefooted  Avorkmen,  who  deposited  them  in  their  places  by 
means  of  cranes  placed  at  the  orifice  of  the  cannon.  No  steam- 
engine  was  permitted  to  work,  and  every  fire  was  extinguished 
within  two  miles  of  the  works. 

Even  in  November  they  feared  to  work  by  day,  lest  the  sun's 
rays  acting  on  the  gun-cotton  might  lead   to  unhappy  results. 


FINAL   DETAILS.  I  29 


This  led  to  their  working  at  night,  by  light  produced  in  a  vacuum 
by  means  of  RiihrnkorfTs  apparatus,  which  threw  an  artificial 
brightness  into  the  depths  of  the  Columbiad.  There  the  cart- 
ridges were  arranged  with  the  utmost  regularity,  connected  by  a 
metallic  thread,  destined  to  communicate  to  them  all  simulta- 
neously the  electric  spark,  by  which  means  this  mass  of  gun- 
cotton  was  eventually  to  be  ignited. 

By  the  28th  of  November,  800  cartridges  had  been  placed  in 
the  bottom  of  the  Columbiad.     So  far  the  operation  had  been 
successful!      But  what  confusion,  what  anxieties,  what  struggles 
were  undergone  by  President  Barbicane!     In  vain  had  he  refused 
admission  to   Stones  Hill ;  every  day  the  inquisitive  neighbours 
scaled  the  palisades,  some  even  carrying  their  imprudence  to  the 
point  of  smoking,  while  surrounded  by  bales  of  gun-cotton.     Bar- 
bicane was  in  a  perpetual  state  of  alarm.     J.  T.  IMaston  seconded 
him  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  by  giving  vigorous  chase  to  the 
intruders,  and  carefully  picking  up  the  still  lighted  cigar  ends 
which  the  Yankees  threw  about.      A  somewhat  difficult  task! 
seeing  that  more  than   300,000   persons    were   gathered    round 
the  enclosure.     Michel  Ardan  had  volunteered  to  superintend  the 
transport  of  the  cartridges  to  the  mouth   of  the  Columbiad ;  but 
the  president,  having  surprised  him  with  an  enormous  cigar  in 
his  mouth,  while  he  was  hunting  out  the  rash  spectators  to  whom 
he  himself  offered   so  dangerous  an  example,  saw  that  he  could 
not  trust  this  fearless  smoker,  and  was  therefore  obliged  to  mount 
a  special  guard  over  him. 

At  last,  Providence  being  propitious,  this  wonderful  loading 
came  to  a  happy  termination.  Captain  NichoU's  third  bet  being 
thus  lost.  It  remained  now  to  introduce  the  projectile  into  the 
Columbiad,  and  to  place  it  on  its  soft  bed  of  gun-cotton. 

But  before  doing  this,  all  those  things  necessary  for  the 
journey  had  to  be  carefully  arranged  in  the  projectile-vehicle. 
These  necessaries  were  numerous  ;  and  had  Ardan  been  allowed  to 
follow  his  own  wishes,  there  would  have  been  no  space  remaining 


K 


130  ■  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON". 


for  the  travellers.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  lialf  tlie 
tilings  this  charming  Frenchman  wished  to  convey  to  the  moon. 
A  veritable  stock  of  useless  trifles!  But  Barbicane  interfered  and 
refused  admission  to  anything  not  absolutely  needed.  Sevei'al 
thermometers,  barometers,  and  telescopes  were  packed  in  the 
instrument  case. 

The  travellers  being  desirous  of  examining  the  moon  carefully 
during  their  voyage,  in  order  to  facilitate  their  studies,  they  took 
with  them  Bocer  and  Mocller's  excellent  Mappa  Selenograpliica, 
a  masterpiece  of  patience  and  observation,  which  they  hoped 
would  enable  them  to  identify  those  physical  features  in  the  moon, 
with  which  they  were  acquainted.  This  map  reproduced  with 
scrupulous  fidelity  the  smallest  details  of  the  lunar  surface  which 
faces  the  earth;  the  mountains,  valleys,  craters,  peaks,  and  ridges 
were  all  represented,  with  their  exact  dimensions,  relative  posi- 
tions, and  names;  from  the  mountains  Doerfel  and  Leibnitz  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  disc,  to  the  Mare  fvigoris  of  the  North  Pole. 

They  took  also  three  rifles  and  three  fowling-pieces,  and  a 
large  quantity  of  balls,  shot,  and  powder. 

"  We  cannot  tell  whom  we  shall  have  to  deal  with,"  said 
Michel  Ardan.  "  Men  or  beasts  may  possibly  object  to  our  visit. 
It  is  only  wise  to  take  all  precautions." 

These  defensive  weapons  were  accompanied  by  pickaxes,  crow- 
bars, saws,  and  other  useful  implements,  not  to  mention  clothing 
adapted  to  every  temperature,  from  that  of  the  polar  regions  to 
that  of  the  torrid  zone. 

Ardan  wished  to  convey  a  number  of  animals  of  diflferent  sorts 
(not  indeed  a  pair  of  every  known  species),  as  he  could  not  see  the 
necessity  of  acclimatizing  serpents,  tigers,  alligators,  or  any  other 
noxious  beasts  in  the  moon.  "  Nevertheless,"  he  said  to  Barbi- 
cane, "  some  valuable  and  useful  beasts,  bullocks,  cows,  horses, 
and  donkeys,  would  bear  the  journey  very  well,  and  would  also 
be  very  useful  to  us." 

"  I  dare  say,  my  dear  Ardan,"  replied  the  president,  "  but  our 


•^2<S%Sp2^i^^^^^^^^P^<^54^ 


THE  INTERIOR  OF  THE  PROJECTILE. 


ip.  130.] 


FINAL   DETAILS. 


projectile-vehicle  is  no  Noah's  ark,  from  which  it  diflcrs  both  in 
dimensions  and  object.      Let  us  confine  ourselves  to  possibilities." 

After  a  prolonged  discussion,  it  was  agreed  that  the  travellers 
should  restrict  themselves  to  a  sporting-dog  bclon'Mn"-  to 
Nicholl,  and  to  a  large  Newfoundland.  Several  packets  of  seeds 
were  also  included  among  the  necessaries.  Michel  Ardan,  indeed, 
was  anxious  to  add  some  sacks  full  of  earth  to  sow  them  in  ;  as 
it  was,  he  took  a  dozen  shrubs  carefully  wrapped  up  in  straw  to 
plant  in  the  moon. 

The  important  question  of  provisions  still  remained;  it  being 
necessary  to  provide  against  the  possibility  of  their  finding  the 
moon  absolutely  barren.  Barbicane  managed  so  successfully, 
that  he  supplied  them  with  sufficient  rations  for  a  year.  These 
consisted  of  preserved  meats  and  vegetables,  reduced  by  strono- 
hydraulic  pressure  to  the  smallest  possible  dimensions.  They 
were  also  supplied  with  brandy,  and  took  water  enough  for  two 
months,  being  confident,  from  astronomical  observations,  that 
there  was  no  lack  of  water  on  the  moon's  surface.  As  to  provi- 
sions, doubtless  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  would  find  nouris-h- 
ment  somewhere  in  the  moon.  Ardan  never  questioned  this;  indeed, 
bad  he  done  so,  he  would  never  have  undertaken  the  journey. 

*'  Besides,"  he  said  one  day  to  his  friends,  "  we  shall  not  bo 
completely  abandoned  by  our  terrestrial  friends;  they  will  take 
care  not  to  forget  us." 

"  No,  indeed ! "  replied  J.  T.  Maston. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Nicholl. 

"  Nothing  would  be  simpler,"  replied  Ardan;  "the  Colurabiad 
will  be  always  there.  Well !  whenever  the  moon  is  in  a  favour- 
able condition  as  to  the  zenith,  if  not  to  the  perigee,  that  is  to  say 
about  once  a  year,  could  you  not  send  us  a  shell  packed  with 
provisions,  Avhich  we  might  expect  on  some  appointed  day?" 

"Hurrah!  hurrah!"  cried  J.  T.  Maston;  "  Avhat  an  ingenious 
fellow!  what  a  splendid  idea  I  Indeed,  my  good  friends,  wo 
shall  not  forget  you  !  " 

K  2 


132  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 

"  I  shall  reckon  upon  you !  Then,  you  see,  we  shall  receive 
news  regularly  from  the  earth,  and  we  shall  indeed  be  stupid  if  we 
hit  upon  no  plan  for  communicating  with  our  good  friends  here!" 

These  words  inspired  such  confidence,  that  Michel  Ardan 
carried  all  the  Gun  Club  with  him  in  his  enthusiasm.  What  he 
said  seemed  so  simple  and  so  easy,  so  sure  of  success,  that  none 
could  be  so  sordidly  attached  to  this  earth,  as  to  hesitate  to  fol- 
low the  three  travellers  on  their  lunar  expedition. 

All  being  ready  at  last,  it  remained  to  place  the  projectile  in  the 
Columbiad,  an  operation  abundantly  accompanied  by  dangers  and 
difficulties. 

The  enormous  shell  was  conveyed  to  the  summit  of  Stones 
Hill.  There,  powei'fu]  cranes  raised  it,  and  held  it  suspended 
over  the  mouth  of  the  cylinder. 

It  was  a  fearful  moment !  What  if  the  chains  should  break 
imder  its  enormous  weight  ?  The  sudden  fall  of  such  a  body 
would  inevitably  cause  the  gun-cotton  to  explode ! 

Fortunately  this  did  not  happen ;  and  some  hours  later  the 
projectile-vehicle  descended  gently  into  the  heart  of  the  cannon 
and  rested  on  its  couch  of  pyroxyle,  a  veritable  bed  of  explosive 
eider-down.  Its  pressure  had  no  result,  other  than  the  more 
effectual  ramming  down  of  the  charge  of  the  Columbiad. 

"  I  have  lost,"  said  the  Captain,  who  forthwith  paid  President 
Barbicane  the  sum  of  3000  dollars. 

Barbicane  did  not  Avish  to  accept  the  money  from  one  of  his 
fellow-travellers,  but  gave  way  at  last  before  the  determination  of 
Nicholl,  who  wished  before  leaving  the  earth  to  fulfil  all  his 
engagements. 

"  Now,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  "  I  have  only  one  thing  more  to 
wish  for  you,  my  brave  Captain." 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  asked  Nicholl. 

"  It  is  that  you  may  lose  your  two  other  bets  !  Then  we  shall 
be  sure  not  to  be  stopped  ou  our  journey ! " 


AN  INNUMERABLE  MULTITODE  COATERED  THE  PRAIRIE 
ROUND  STONE'S  HILL. 


Li).  133.] 


'fireV  133 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

FIRE  ! 

The  first  of  December  had  arrived !  the  fatal  day !  for,  if  the 
projectile  were  not  discharged  that  very  night  at  lOh.  46m.  40s. 
p.m.,  more  than  eighteen  years  must  roll  by  before  the  moon 
would  again  present  herself  under  the  same  conditions  of  zenith 
and  perigee. 

The  weather  was  magnificent.  Despite  the  approach  of  winter, 
the  sun  shone  brightly,  and  bathed  in  its  radiant  light  that  earth 
which  three  of  its  denizens  wei'e  about  to  abandon  for  a  new 
world. 

How  many  persons  lost  their  rest  on  the  night  which  preceded 
this  long-expected  day  !  All  hearts  beat  with  disquietude,  save  only 
the  heart  of  Michel  Ardan.  That  imperturbable  personage  came 
and  went  with  his  habitual  business-like  air,  while  nothing  what- 
ever denoted  that  any  unusual  matter  preoccupied  his  mind. 

After  dawn,  an  innumerable  multitude  covered  the  prairie 
which  extends,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  round  Stones  Hill. 
Every  quarter  of  an  hour  the  railway  brought  fresh  accessions  of 
sightseers  ;  and,  according  to  the  statement  of  the  Tampa  Toivn 
Observer,  not  less  than  five  millions  of  spectators  thronged  the 
soil  of  Florida. 

For  a  whole  month  previously,  the  mass  of  these  persons  had 
bivouacked  round  the  enclosure,  and  laid  the  foundations  for  a 
town  which  was  afterwards  called  "  Ardan's  Town."  The  whole 
plain  was  covered  with  huts,  cottages,  and  tents.     Every  nation 


134  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOON. 


under  the  sun  was  representod  there  ;  and  every  language  might 
be  heard  spoken  at  the  same  time.  It  was  a  perfect  Babel  re- 
enacted.  All  the  various  classes  of  American  society  were 
mingled  together  in  terms  of  absolute  equality.  Bankers, 
farmers,  sailors,  cotton-planters,  brokers,  merchants,  watermen, 
magistrates,  elbowed  each  other  in  the  most  free-and-easy  way. 
Louisiana  Creoles  fraternised  with  farmers  from  Indiana ; 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee  gentlemen  and  haughty  Virginians 
conversed  with  trappers  and  the  half-savages  of  the  lakes 
and  butchers  from  Cincinnati.  Broad-brimmed  white  hats  and 
Panamas,  blue  cotton  trowsers,  light  coloured  stockings,  cambric 
frills,  were  all  here  displayed  ;  while  upon  shirt-fronts,  wristbands, 
and  neckties,  upon  every  finger,  even  upon  the  very  ears,  they 
wore  an  assortment  of  rings,  shirt-pins,  brooches,  and  trinkets,  of 
which  the  value  only  equalled  the  execrable  taste.  Women, 
children,  and  servants,  in  equally  expensive  dress,  surrounded 
their  husbands,  fathers,  or  masters,  who  resembled  the  patriarchs 
of  tribes  in  the  midst  of  their  immense  households. 

At  meal-times,  all  fell  to  work  upon  the  dishes  peculiar  to  the 
Southern  States,  and  consumed  with  an  appetite  that  threatened 
speedy  exhaustion  of  the  victualling  powers  of  Florida,  fri- 
casseed frogs,  stuffed  monkey,  fish  chowder,  underdone  'possum, 
and  racoon  steaks.  And  as  for  tlie  liquors  which  accompanied  this 
indigestible  repast !  The  shouts,  the  vociferations  that  resounded 
through  the  bars  and  taverns  decorated  with  glasses,  tankards, 
and  bottles  of  marvellous  shape,  mortars  for  pounding  sugar,  and 
bundles  of  straws  !  *'  Mint-julep  !  "  roars  one  of  the  barmen  ; 
*•'  Claret  sangaree  !  "  shouts  another  ;  "  Cocktail  !  "  "  Brandy- 
smash  !  "  "  Real  mint-julep  in  the  new  style  !  "  All  these  cries 
intermingled  produced  a  bcAvildering  and  deafening  hubbub. 

But  on  this  day,  1st  December,  such  sounds  were  rare.  No 
one  thought  of  eating  or  drinking,  and  at  four  p.m.  there  were  vast 
numbers  of  spectators  who  had  not  even  taken  their  customary 
lunch !     And,  a   still   more    significant  fact,    oven    the    national 


"fire\"  135 

passion  for  play  seemed  quelled  for  the  time  under  the  general 
excitement  of  the  hour. 

Up  till  nightAvll,  a  dull,  noiseless  agitation,  such  as  precedes 
great  catastrophes,  ran  through  the  anxious  multitude.  Au 
indescribable  uneasiness  pervaded  all  minds,  an  indefinable  sensa- 
tion which  oppressed  the  heart.     Every  one  wished  it  was  over 

However,  about  seven  o'clock,  the  heavy  silence  was  dissipated. 
The  moon  rose  above  the  horizon.  Millions  of  hurrahs  hailed  her 
appearance.  She  was  punctual  to  the  rendezvous,  and  shouts  of 
welcome  greeted  her  on  all  sides,  as  her  pale  beams  shone 
gracefully  in  the  clear  heavens.  At  this  moment  the  three 
intrepid  travellers  appeared.  This  was  the  signal  for  renewed 
cries  of  still  greater  intensity.  Instantly  the  vast  assemblage,  as 
with  one  accord,  struck  up  the  national  hymn  of  the  United  States, 
and  "  Yankee  Doodle,"  sung  by  five  millions  of  hearty  throats,  rose 
like  a  roaring  tempest  to  the  farthest  limits  of  the  atmosphere. 
Then  a  profound  silence  reigned  throughout  the  crowd. 

The  Frenchman  and  the  two  Americans  had  by  this  time 
entered  the  enclosure  reserved  in  the  centre  of  the  multitude. 
They  were  accompanied  by  the  members  of  the  Gun  Club,  and  by 
deputations  sent  from  all  the  European  Observatories.  Baibi- 
caue,  cool  and  collected,  was  giving  his  final  directions.  Nicholl, 
with  compressed  lips,  his  arms  crossed  behind  his  back,  walked 
with  a  firm  and  measured  step.  Michel  Ardan,  always  easy, 
dressed  in  thorough  traveller's  costume,  leathern  gaiters  on  his 
legs,  pouch  by  his  side,  in  loose  velvet  suit,  cigar  in  mouth,  was 
fall  of  inexhaustible  gaiety,  laughing,  joking,  playing  pranks 
with  J.  T.  Maston.  In  one  word,  he  was  the  thorough  "French- 
man "  (and  worse,  a  "  Parisian  ")  to  the  last  moment. 

Ten  o'clock  struck !  The  moment  had  arrived  for  taking  their 
places  in  the  projectile  1  The  necessary  operations  for  the 
descent,  and  the  subsequent  removal  of  the  cranes  and  scaflblding 
that  inclined  over  the  mouth  of  the  Columbiad,  required  a  ceilain 
period  of  time. 


i;^6  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO     THE   MOON. 


Barbicane  had  regulated  his  chronometer  to  the  tenth  part  of  a 
second  by  that  of  Murchison  the  engineer,  -who  was  charged  with 
the  duty  of  firing  the  gun  by  means  of  an  electric  spark.  Thus 
the  travellers  enclosed  within  the  projectile,  were  enabled  to 
follow  with  their  eyes  the  impassive  needle  which  marked  the 
precise  moment  of  their  departure. 

The  moment  had  arrived  for  saying  "  Good-bye !  "  The  scene 
was  a  touching  one.  Despite  his  feverish  gaiety,  even  Michel 
Ardan  was  touched.  J.  T.  Maston  had  found  in  his  own  dry  eyes 
one  ancient  tear,  which  he  had  doubtless  reserved  for  the  occasion. 
He  dropped  it  on  the  forehead  of  his  dear  president, 

"  Can  I  not  go  ?  "  he  said,  "  there  is  still  time  !  " 

"  Impossible,  old  felloAV  !  "  replied  Barbicane.  A  few  moments 
later,  the  three  fellow-travellers  had  ensconced  themselves  in 
the  projectile,  and  screwed  down  the  plate  which  covered  the 
entrance-aperture.  The  mouth  of  the  Columbiad,  now  completely 
disencumbered,  was  open  entirely  to  the  sky. 

The  moon  advanced  upwards  in  a  heaven  of  the  purest  clear- 
ness, outshining  in  her  passage  the  twinkling  light  of  the  stars. 
She  passed  over  the  constellation  of  the  Twins,  and  was  now 
wearing  the  half-way  point  between  the  horizon  and  the  zenith. 
A  terrible  silence  weighed  upon  the  entire  scene  !  Not  a  breath 
of  wind  upon  the  earth!  not  a  sound  of  breathing  from  the 
countless  chests  of  the  spectators  !  Their  hearts  seemed  afraid  to 
beat  !  All  eyes  Avere  fixed  upon  the  yawning  mouth  of  the  Columbiad. 

Murchison  followed  with  his  eye  the  hand  of  his  chronometei'. 
It  wanted  scarce  forty  seconds  to  the  moment  of  departure,  but 
each  second  seemed  to  last  an  age  !  At  the  twentieth  there  was  a 
general  shudder,  as  it  occurred  to  the  minds  of  that  vast  assem- 
blage that  the  bold  travellers  shut  up  within  the  projectile  were 
also  counting  those  terrible  seconds.  Some  few  cries  here  and 
there  escaped  the  croAvd. 

"  Thirty-five  !  —  thii'ty-six  !  —  thirty-seven  ! — thirty-eight! — 
thirty-nine  !  — forty  I     Fire  III" 


"fire\"  137 

Instantly  Murchison  pressed  with,  his  finger  the  key  of  the 
electric  battery,  restored  the  current  of  the  fluid,  and  discharged 
the  spark  into  the  breach  of  the  Columbiad. 

An  appalling,  unearthly  report  followed  instantly,  such  as  can 
be  compared  to  nothing  whatever  known,  not  even  to  the  roar  of 
thunder,  or  the  blast  of  volcanic  explosions  !  No  words  can 
convey  the  slightest  idea  of  the  terrific  sound  !  An  immense 
spoilt  of  fire  shot  up  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  as  from  a 
crater.  The  earth  heaved  up,  and  with  great  difliculty  some 
few  spectators  obtained  a  momentary  glimpse  of  the  projectile 
victoriously  cleaving  the  air  in  the  midst  of  the  fiery  vapours  I 


138  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MOOM. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


rOUL   WEATHER. 


At  the  moment  wlien  that  pyramid  of  fire  rose  to  a  prodigious 
height  into  the  air,  the  glare  of  the  flame  lit  up  the  whole  of 
Florida ;  and  for  a  moment  day  superseded  night  over  a  con- 
siderable extent  of  the  country.  This  immense  canopy  of  fire 
was  perceived  at  a  distance  of  100  miles  out  at  sea,  and  more 
than  one  ship's  captain  entered  in  his  log  the  appearance  of  this 
gigantic  meteor. 

The  discharge  of  the  Columbiad  was  accompanied  by  a  perfect 
earthquake.  Florida  was  shaken  to  its  very  depths.  The  gases 
of  the  powder,  expanded  by  heat,  forced  back  the  atmospheric 
strata  with  tremendous  violence,  and  this  artificial  hurricane 
rushed  like  a  waterspout  through  the  air. 

Not  a  single  spectator  remained  on  his  feet !  Men,  women, 
children,  all  lay  prostrate  like  ears  of  corn  under  a  tempest. 
There  ensued  a  terrible  tumult ;  a  large  number  of  persons  were 
seriously  injured.  J.  T.  Maston,  who,  despite  of  all  dictates  of 
prudence  had  kept  in  advance  of  the  mass,  was  pitched  back  120 
feet,  shooting  like  a  projectile  over  the  heads  of  his  fellow- 
citizens.  Three  hundred  thousand  persons  remained  deaf  for  a 
time,  and  as  though  struck  stupefied. 

As  soon  as  the  first  effects  were  over,  the  injured,  the  deaf,  and 
lastly,  the  crowd  in  general,  woke  up  with  frenzied  cries.  "  Hur- 
rah for  Ardan!  Hurrah  for  Barbicane  !  Hurrah  forNicholl!" 
rose  to  the  skies.  Thousands  of  persons,  noses  in  air,  armed 
with  telescopes  aud  race-glasses,  were  questioning  space,  forget- 


EFFECT  OF  THE  EXPLOSION. 


[p. 138.] 


THE  DIRECTOR  AT  HIS  POST. 


[p.  139.1 


FOUL    WEATHER.  1 39 


ting  all  contusions  and  emotions  in  the  one  idea  of  watching  for 
the  pi'ojectile.  They  looked  in  vain !  It  was  no  longer  to  be 
seen,  and  they  were  obliged  to  wait  for  telegrams  from  Long's 
Peak.  The  Director  of  the  Cambridge  Observatory  was  at  his 
post  on  the  Rocky  Mountains;  and  to  him,  as  a  skilful  and  per- 
severing astronomer,  all  observations  had  been  confided. 

But  an  unforeseen  phenomenon  came  in  to  subject  the  public 
impatience  to  a  severe  trial. 

The  weather,  hitherto  so  fine,  suddenly  changed ;  the  sky 
became  heavy  with  clouds.  It  could  not  have  been  otherwise 
after  the  terrible  derangement  of  the  atmospheric  strata,  and  the 
dispersion  of  the  enormous  quantity  of  vapour  arising  from  the 
combustion  of  200,0001bs.  of  pyroxyle  ! 

On  the  morrow  the  horizon  was  covered  with  clouds — a  thick 
and  impenetrable  curtain  between  earth  and  sky,  which  unhappily 
extended  as  far  as  the  Rocky  Mountains.  It  was  a  fiitality !  But 
since  man  had  chosen  so  to  disturb  the  atmosphere,  he  was  bound 
to  accept  the  consequences  of  his  experiment. 

Supposing,  now,  that  the  experiment  had  succeeded,  the  tra- 
vellers having  started  on  the  1st  of  December,  at  lOh.  46m.  403. 
p.m.,  were  due  on  the  4th  at  Oh.  p.m.  at  their  destination.  So 
that  up  to  that  time  it  would  have  been  very  difficult  after  all  to 
have  observed,  under  such  conditions,  a  body  so  small  as  the 
shell.     Therefore  they  waited  with  what  patience  they  might. 

From  the  4th  to  the  6th  of  December  inclusive,  the  Aveather 
remaining  much  the  same  in  America,  the  great  European  instru- 
ments of  Herschel,  Rosse,  and  Foucault,  were  constantly  directed 
towards  the  moon,  for  the  weather  was  then  magnificent ;  but  the 
comparative  weakness  of  their  glasses  prevented  any  trustworthy 
observations  being  made. 

On  the  7th  the  sky  seemed  to  lighten.  They  were  in  hopes 
now,  but  their  hope  was  of  but  short  duration,  and  at  night  again 
thick  clouds  hid  the  starry  vault  from  all  eyes. 

Mailers  were  now  becoming  serious,  when  on  the  9tb,   the 


140  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE   MIOON. 

sun  reappeared  for  an  instant,  as  if  for  the  purpose  of  teasing  the 
Americans.  It  was  received  with  hisses  ;  and  wounded,  no  doubt, 
by  such  a  reception,  showed  itself  very  sparing  of  its  rays. 

On  the  10th,  no  change  !  J.  T.  Maston  went  nearly  mad,  an 
great  fears  w^ere  entertained  regarding  the  brain  of  this  worthy 
individual,  which  had  hitherto  been  so  well  preserved  within  his 
gutta-percha  cranium. 

But  on  the  11th  one  of  those  inexplicable  tempests  peculiar 
to  those  intertropical  regions,  was  let  loose  in  the  atmosphere.  A 
terrific  east  wind  swept  away  the  groups  of  clouds  which  had 
been  so  long  gathering,  and  at  night  the  semi-disc  of  the  orb  of 
night  rode  majestically  amidst  the  soft  constellations  of  the  sky. 


I 


A    NEH^  STAR.  141 


CHAPTER  XXVm. 


A  NEW   STAB. 


That  very  night,  the  stai-tling  news  so  impatiently  awaited,  burst 
like  a  thunderbolt  over  the  United  States  of  the  Union,  and 
thence,  darting  across  the  ocean,  ran  through  all  the  telegraphic 
wires  of  the  globe.  The  projectile  had  been  detected,  thanks  to 
the  gigantic  reflector  of  Long's  Peak!  Here  is  the  note  received 
by  the  Director  of  the  Observatory  of  Cambridge.  It  contains 
the  scientific  conclusion  regarding  this  great  experiment  of  the 
Gun  Club. 

"  Loxg's  Peak,  December  12. 

"  To  the  Officers  of  the  Observatory  of  Cambridge. 

"  The  projectile  discharged  by  the  Coltunbiad  at  Stones  Hill  has  been 
detected  by  Messrs.  Belfast  and  J.  T.  Maston,  12th  December,  at  8.47  p.m., 
the  moon  having  entered  her  last  quarter.  This  projectile  has  not  arrived  at 
its  destination.  It  has  passed  by  the  side ;  but  sufficiently  near  to  be 
retained  by  the  lunar  attraction. 

"The  rectilinear  movement  has  thus  become  changed  into  a  circular 
motion  of  extreme  velocity,  and  it  is  now  pursuing  an  elliptical  orbit  round 
the  moon,  of  which  it  has  become  a  true  satelhte. 

"The  elements  of  this  new  star  we  have  as  yet  been  unable  to  determine; 
we  do  not  yet  know  the  velocity  of  its  passage.  The  distance  which  separates 
it  from  the  surface  of  the  moon  may  be  estimated  at  about  2833  miles. 

"  However,  two  hypothesis  come  here  into  our  consideration. 

"1.  Either  the  attraction  of  the  moon  will  end  by  dravring  them  into 
itself,  and  the  travellers  will  attain  their  destination  ;  or, — 

"  2.  The  projectile,  foUomng  an  immutable  law,  will  continue  to  gravitate 
round  the  moon  till  the  end  of  time. 

"  At  some  future  time,  our  observations  will  be  able  to  determine  this 
point,  but  tni  then  the  experiment  of  the  Gun  Club  can  have  no  other  result 
than  to  have  provided  our  solax  system  with  a  new  star. 

"  J.  Belfast." 


142  FROM    THE   EARTH    TO    THE  MOON. 


To  how  many  questions  did  this  unexpected  denouement  give 
rise  ?  What  mysterious  results  was  the  future  reserving  for  the 
investigations  of  science  ?  At  all  events,  the  uames  of  Nicholl, 
Barhicanc,  and  Michel  Ardan  were  certain  to  be  immortalized  in 
the  annals  of  astronomy  ! 

When  the  despatch  from  Long's  Peak  had  once  become  known, 
there  was  but  one  universal  feeling  of  surprise  and  alarm.  Was 
it  possible  to  go  to  the  aid  of  these  bold  travellers  ?  No  !  for 
they  had  placed  themselves  beyond  the  pale  of  humanity,  by 
crossing  the  limits  imposed  by  the  Creator  on  his  earthly  creatures. 
They  had  air  enough  for  two  months  ;  they  had  victuals  enough 
for  twelve; — hut  after  that  ?  There  was  only  one  man  who  would 
not  admit  that  the  situation  was  desperate, — he  alone  had  confi- 
dence ;  and  that  was  their  devoted  friend  J.  T.  Maston. 

Besides,  he  never  let  them  get  out  of  sight.  His  home  was 
henceforth  the  post  at  Long's  Peak  ;  his  horizon,  the  mirror  of 
that  immense  reflector.  As  soon  as  the  moon  rose  above  the 
horizon,  he  immediately  caught  her  in  the  field  of  the  telescope  ; 
he  never  let  her  go  for  an  instant  out  of  his  sight,  and  followed 
her  assiduously  in  her  course  through  the  stellar  spaces.  He 
watched  with  untiring  patience  the  passage  of  the  projectile 
across  her  silvery  disc,  and  really  the  worthy  man  remained  in 
perpetual  communication  with  his  three  friends,  whom  he  did  not 
despair  of  seeing  again  some  day. 

"  Those  three  men,"  said  he,  "  have  carried  into  space  all  the 
resources  of  art,  science,  and  industry.  With  that,  one  can  do 
anything  ;  and  you  will  see  that,  some  day,  they  will  come  out  all 
right." 


EOUND  THE  MOON: 

A   SEQUEL   TO 

FIIOM  THE  EMTH  TO  THE  MOOX. 


EOUND   THE  MOON 


PRELIMINARY  CHAPTER. 

RECAPITULATING    THE    FIRST    PART    OF    THIS    WORK,    AND 
SERVING   AS   A   PREFACE    TO   THE    SECOND. 

During  the  year  186 — ,  the  whole  world  was  greatly  excited  by 
a  scieutific  experiment  iiuprecedented  in  the  annals  of  science. 
The  members  of  the  Gun  Club,  a  circle  of  artillerymen  formed 
at  Baltimore  after  the  American   war,    conceived   the   idea   of 
putting  themselves  in  communication  with  the  moon  ! — yes,  with 
the  moon,— by  sending  to  her   a  projectile.      Their  president, 
Barbicane,  the  promoter  of  the  enterprise,  having  consulted  the 
astronomers    of   the   Cambridge  Observatory  upon   the    subject, 
took  all  necessary  means  to  ensure  the  success  of  this  extraor- 
dinary enterprise,  which  had  been   declared   practicable  by  the 
majority  of  competent  judges.      After  setting  on  foot  a  public 
subscription,  which  realized  nearly  1,200,000^.,  they  began  the 

gigantic  work. 

According  to  the  advice  forwarded  from  the  members  of  the 
Observatory,  the  gun  destined  to  launch  the  projectile  had  to  be 
fixed  in  a  country  situated  between  the  0  and  28th  degrees  of 
north  or  south  latitude,  in  order  to  aim  at  the  moon  when 
at  the  zenith  ;  and  its  initiatory  velocity  was  fixed  at  twelve 
thousand  yards  to  the  second.    Launched  on  the  1st  of  December, 


146  ROU^D    THE   MOON. 


at  lOlirs.  46m.  40s.  p.m.,  it  ought  to  reacli  the  moon  four  days 
after  its  depai'ture,  that  is  on  the  oth  of  December,  at  midnight 
precisely,  at  the  moment  of  her  attaining  her  pei^igee,  that  is  her 
nearest  distance  from  the  earth,  which  is  exactly  86,410  leagues 
(French),  or  238,833  miles  viean  distance  (English). 

The  principal  members  of  the  Gun  Club,  President  Barbicane, 
Major  Elphinstone,  the  secretary  Joseph  T.  Maston,  and  other 
learned  men,  held  several  meetings,  at  which  the  shape  and  com- 
position of  the  projectile  were  discussed,  also  the  position  and 
nature  of  the  gun,  and  the  quality  and  quantity  of  the  powder  to 
be  used.  It  was  decided  :  1st,  that  the  projectile  should  be  a 
shell  made  of  aluminium  with  a  diameter  of  108  inches  and  a  thick- 
ness of  twelve  inches  to  its  walls ;  and  should  weigh  19,2o01bs. 
2ndly,  that  the  gun  should  be  a  Columbiad  east  in  iron,  900  feet 
long,  and  run  perpendicularly  into  the  earth.  3rdly,  that  the 
charge  should  contain  400,000  pounds  of  gun-cotton,  which, 
giving  out  six  billions  of  litres  of  gas  in  rear  of  the  projectile, 
would  easily  carry  it  towards  the  orb  of  night. 

These  questions  determined  President  Baibicane,  assisted  by 
Murchison  the  engineer,  to  choose  a  spot  situated  in  Florida,  in 
2T  7'  North  latitude,  and  77°  3'  W,  (Greenwich)  longitude.  It 
was  on  this  spot,  after  stupendous  labour,  that  the  Columbiad 
was  cast  with  full  success.  Things  stood  thus,  when  an  incident 
took  place  which  increased  the  interest  attached  to  this  great 
enterprise  a  hundredfold. 

A  Frenchman,  an  enthusiastic  Parisian,  as  witty  as  he  was 
bold,  asked  to  be  enclosed  in  the  projectile,  in  order  that  he 
might  reach  the  moon,  and  reconnoitre  this  terrestial  satellite. 
The  name  of  this  intrepid  adventurer  was  Michel  Ardan.  He 
landed  in  America,  was  received  with  enthusiasm,  held  meetings, 
saw  himself  carried  in  triumph,  reconciled  President  Barbicane  to 
his  moi-tal  enemy,  Captain  Nicholl,  and,  as  a  token  of  recon- 
ciliation, persuaded  them  both  to  start  with  him  in  the  projec- 
tile.     The  proposition  being  accepted,  the  shape  of  the  projectile 


PRELIMINARY  CHAPTER.  147 


was  slightly  altered.  It  was  made  of  a  cylindro-conieal  form. 
This  species  of  aerial  car  was  liued  with  strong  springs  and 
partitions  to  deaden  the  shock  of  departure.  It  was  provided 
with  food  for  a  year,  water  for  some  months,  and  gas  for  some 
days.  A  self-acting  apparatus  supplied  the  three  travellers  with 
air  to  breathe.  At  the  same  time,  on  one  of  the  highest  points  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  Gun  Club  had  a  gigantic  telescope 
erected,  in  order  that  they  might  be  able  to  follow  the  course 
of  the  projectile  through  space.     AH  was  then  ready. 

On  the  30th  November,  at  the  hour  fixed  upon,  from  the  midst 
of  an  extraordinary  crowd  of  spectators,  the  departure  took  place; 
and  for  the  first  time,  three  human  beings  quitted  the  terrestial 
globe,  and  launched  into  interplanetary  space  with  almost  a  cer- 
tainty of  reaching  their  destination.  These  bold  travellers, 
Michel  Ardan,  President  Barbicane,  and  Captain  Nicholl,  ought 
to  make  the  passage  in  ninety-seven  hours,  thirteen  minutes, 
and  twenty  seconds.  Consequently,  their  arrival  on  the  lunar 
disc  could  not  take  place  until  the  5th  December  at  twelve  at 
night,  at  the  exact  moment  when  the  moon  should  be  full, 
and    not    on    the    4th,    as    some    badly-informed    journals    had 

announced. 

But  an  unforeseen  circumstance,  viz.,  the  detonation  produced 
by  the  Columbiad,  had  the  immediate  effect  of  troubling  the  ter- 
restial atmosphere,  by  accumulating  a  large  quantity  of  vapour, 
a  phenomenon  which  excited  universal  indignation,  for  the 
moon  was   hidden  from    the  eyes  of  the    watchers   for   several 

nights. 

The  worthy  Joseph  T.  Maston,  the  staunchest  friend  of  the 
three  travellers,  started  for  the  Rocky  Mountains,  accompanied 
by  the  Hon.  J.  Belfast,  director  of  the  Cambridge  Observatory, 
and  reached  the  station  of  Long's  Peak,  where  the  telescope  was 
erected  which  brought  the  moon  within  an  apparent  distance  of 
two  leagues.  The  hon.  secretary  of  the  Gun  Club  wished  himself 
to  observe  the  vehicle  of  his  daring  friends. 

L  2 


148  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


The  accumulation  of  clouds  in  the  atmosphere  prevented  all 
observations  on  the  5th,  6th,  7th,  8th,  9th,  and  10th  of  December. 
Indeed  it  was  thought  that  all  observations  would  have  to  be  put 
off  to  the  3rd  of  January  in  the  following  year ;  for  the  moon 
entering  its  last  quarter  on  the  11th,  would  then  only  present  an 
ever-decreasing  portion  of  her  disc,  insufficient  to  allow  of  their 
following  the  course  of  the  projectile. 

At  length,  to  the  general  satisfaction,  a  heavy  storm  cleared 
the  atmosphere  on  the  night  of  the  11th  and  12th  December,  and 
the  moon,  with  half  illuminated  disc,  was  plainly  to  be  seen  upon 
the  black  sky. 

That  very  night,  a  telegram  was  sent  from  the  station  of 
Long's  Peak  by  Joseph  T.  Maston  and  Belfast  to  the  gentlemen 
of  the  Cambridge  Observatory,  announcing  that,  on  the  11th  of 
December  at  8h.  47m,  p.m.,  the  projectile  launched  by  the  Colum- 
biad  of  Stones  Hill  had  been  detected  by  Messrs.  Belfast  and 
Maston, — that  it  had  deviated  from  its  course  from  some  un- 
known cause,  and  had  not  reached  its  destination  ;  but  that  it 
had  passed  near  enough  to  be  retained  by  the  lunar  attraction ; 
that  its  rectilinear  movement  had  been  changed  to  a  circular  one, 
and  that  following  an  elliptical  orbit  round  the  star  of  night  it  had 
become  its  satellite.  The  telegram  added  that  the  elements  of  this 
new  star  had  not  yet  been  calculated;  and  indeed  three  observations 
made  upon  a  star  in  three  different  positions,  are  necessary  to 
determine  these  elements.  Then  it  showed  that  the  distance 
sejjarating  the  projectile  from  the  lunar  surface  "might"  be 
reckoned  at  about  2833  miles. 

It  ended  with  this  double  hypothesis  ;  either  the  attraction 
of  the  moon  would  draw  it  to  herself,  and  the  travellers  thus 
attain  their  end  ;  or  that  the  projectile,  held  in  one  immutable 
orbit,  would  gravitate  around  the  lunar  disc  to  all  eter- 
nity. 

With  such  alternatives,  what  would  be  the  fate  of  the  travellers? 
Certainly  they  had  food  for  some  time.     But  supposing  they  did 


PRELIMINARY  CHAPTER.  I49 


succeed  iu  tlietr  rash  euterprise,  how  would  they  return  ?  Could 
they  ever  return  ?  Should  they  hear  from  them  ?  These  ques- 
tions, debated  by  the  most  learned  pens  of  the  day,  strongly 
eugi'ossed  the  public  atteution. 

It  is  advisable  here  to  make  a  i-emark  which  ought  to  be  well 
considered  by  hasty  observers.  When  a  purely  speculative  dis- 
covery is  announced  to  the  public,  it  cannot  be  done  with  too 
much  prudence.  No  one  is  obliged  to  discover  either  a  planet,  a 
comet,  or  a  satellite  ;  and  whoever  makes  a  mistake  in  such  a 
case  exposes  himself  justly  to  the  derision  of  the  mass.  Far 
better  is  it  to  wait  ;  and  that  is  what  the  impatient  Joseph  T. 
Maston  should  have  done  before  sending  this  telegram  forth  to 
the  world,  which,  according  to  his  idea,  told  the  whole  result  of 
the  enterprise.  Indeed  this  telegram  contained  two  sorts  of 
errors,  as  was  proved  eventually.  1st,  errors  of  observation,  con- 
cerning the  distance  of  the  projectile  from  the  surface  of  the 
moon,  for  on  the  11th  December  it  was  impossible  to  see  it;  and 
what  Joseph  T.  Maston  had  seen,  or  thought  he  saw,  could  not 
have  been  the  projectile  of  the  Columbiad.  2ndly,  errors  of 
theory  on  the  fate  in  store  for  the  said  projectile  ;  for  in  making 
it  a  satellite  of  the  moon,  it  was  putting  it  in  direct  contradiction 
to  all  mechanical  laws. 

One  single  hypothesis  of  the  observers  of  Long's  Peak  could 
ever  be  realized,  that  which  foresaw  the  case  of  the  travellers  (if 
still  alive)  uniting  their  efforts  with  the  lunar  attraction  to  attain 
the  surface  of  the  disc. 

Now  these  men,  as  clever  as  they  were  daring,  had  survived 
the  terrible  shock  consequent  on  their  departure,  and  it  is  their 
journey  in  the  projectile  car  which  is  here  related  in  its  most 
dramatic  as  well  as  in  its  most  singular  details.  This  recital  will 
destroy  many  illusions  and  surmises ;  but  it  will  give  a  true  idea 
of  the  singular  changes  in  store  for  such  an  "enterprise  ;  it  will 
bring  out  the  scientific  instincts  of  Barbicane,  the  industrious 
resources  of  Nicholl,  and  the  audacious  humour  of  Michel  Aidan. 


I  <0  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


Besides  this,  it  will  prove  that  their  worthy  friend,  Joseph  T. 
Maston,  was  wasting  his  time,  while  leaning  over  the  gigantic 
telescope  he  watched  the  course  of  the  moon  through  the  starry 
space. 


FROM    20    MIN.    PAST    lO    TO    47    MIiV.    PAST   lO    P. AT.       15I 


CHAPTER  I. 

FEOM    TWENTY   MINUTES   PAST    TEN    TO    FORTY-SEVEN   MINUTES 

PAST    TEN   P.M. 

As  ten  o'clock  struck,  Michel  Avdan,  Barbicane,  and  Nicholl, 
took  leave  of  the  numerous  friends  they  were  leaving  on  the 
earth.  The  two  dogs,  destined  to  propagate  the  canine  race  on 
the  lunar  continents,  were  already  shut  up  in  the  projectile. 

The  three  travellers  approached  the  orifice  of  the  enormous  cast- 
iron  tube,  and  a  crane  let  them  down  to  the  conical  top  of  the 
projectile.  There,  an  opening  made  for  the  purpose  gave  them 
access  to  the  aluminium  car.  The  tackle  belonging  to  the  crane 
being  hauled  from  outside,  the  mouth  of  the  Columbiad  was  in- 
stantly disencumbered  of  its  last  supports. 

Nicholl,  once  introduced  with  his  companions  inside  the  projec- 
tile, began  to  close  the  opening  by  means  of  a  strong  plate,  held  in 
position  by  powerful  screws.  Other  plates,  closely  fitted,  covered 
the  lenticular  glasses,  and  the  travellers,  hermetically  enclosed  in 
their  metal  pi'ison,  were  plunged  in  profound  darkness. 

"  And  now,  my  dear  companions,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  "  let  us 
make  ourselves  at  home ;  I  am  a  domesticated  man  and  strong  in 
housekeeping.  We  are  bound  to  make  the  best  of  our  new 
lodgings,  and  make  ourselves  comfortable.  And  first  let  us  try 
and  see  a  little.     Gas  was  not  invenj;ed  for  moles." 

So  saying,  the  thoughtless  fellow  lit  a  match  by  striking  it  on 
the  sole  of  his  boot ;  and  approached  the  burner  fixed  to  the 
receptacle,  in  which  the  carbonized  hydrogen,  stored  at  high  pres- 
sure, sufficed  for  the  lighting  and  warming  of  the  projectile  for  a 


152  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


hundred  and  forty-four  Lours,  or  six  days  aud  six  uights.  The 
gas  caught  fire,  and  tlius  lighted  the  projectile  looked  like  a  com- 
fortable room  with  thickly  padded  walls,  furnished  with  a  circular 
divan,  and  a  roof  rounded  in  the  s-hape  of  a  dome. 

The  objects  it  contained,  arms,  instruments,  and  utensils  securely 
fastened  against  the  rounds  of  wadding,  could  bear  the  shock  of 
departure  with  impunity.  Humanly  speaking,  every  possible  pre- 
caution had  been  taken  to  bring  this  rash  experiment  to  a  success- 
ful termination. 

Michel  Ardan  examined  everything,  and  declared  himself  satis- 
fied with  his  installation. 

"  It  is  a  prison,"  said  he,  "  but  a  travelling  prison ;  and,  with 
the  right  of  putting  my  nose  to  the  window,  I  could  well  stand  a 
lease  of  a  hundred  years.  You  smile,  Barbicane.  Have  you  any 
arrihe-pensee?  Do  you  say  to  yourself,  'This  prison  may  be  our 
tomb '  ?  Tomb,  perhaps  ;  still  I  would  not  change  it  for  Ma- 
homet's, which  floats  in  space,  but  never  advances  an  inch !" 

Whilst  Michel  Ardan  was  speaking,  Barbicane  and  Nicholl 
were  making  their  last  preparations. 

NichoU's  chronometer  marked  twenty  minutes  past  ten  p.m. 
when  the  three  travellers  were  finally  enclosed  in  their  projectile. 
This  chronometer  was  set  within  the  tenth  of  a  second  by  that 
of  Murchison  the  engineer.     Barbicane  consulted  it. 

"  My  friends,"  said  he,  "  it  is  twenty  minutes  past  ten.  At 
forty-seven  minutes  past  ten  Murchison  will  launch  the  electric 
spark  on  the  wire  which  communicates  with  the  charge  of  the 
Columbiad.  At  that  precise  moment  we  shall  leave  our  spheroid. 
Thus  we  have  still  twenty-seven  minutes  to  remain  on  the 
earth." 

"  Twenty-six  minutes  thirteen  seconds,"  replied  the  methodical 
Kicholl. 

"Well!"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan,  in  a  good-humoured  tone, 
"  much  may  be  done  in  twenty-six  minutes.  The  gravest  ques- 
tions of  morals  and  politics  may  be  discussed,  and  even  solved. 


THE  GAS  CAUGHT  FIRE. 


[p.  158.] 


FROM   20  MIN.    PAST    lO  TO    47  MIN.    PAST    lO  P.M.         1 53 

Twenty-six  minutes  well  employed  are  worth  more  than  twenty- 
six  yeai's  in  which  nothing  is  done.  Some  seconds  of  a  Pascal 
or  a  Newton  are  more  precious  than  the  whole  existence  of  a 
crowd  of  raw  simpletons — " 

"And  you  conclude,  then,  you  everlasting  talker?"  asked 
Barbicane. 

"I  conclude  that  we  have  twenty-six  minutes  left,"  replied 
Ardan. 

"  Twenty-four  only,"  said  Nicholl. 

"Well,  twenty-four,  if  you  like,  my  noble  captain,"  said 
Ardan  ;  "  twenty-four  minutes  in  which  to  investigate — " 

"  Michel,"  said  Barbicane,  "  during  the  passage  we  shall  have 
plenty  of  time  to  investigate  the  most  dithcult  questions.  For  the 
present  we  must  occupy  ourselves  with  our  departure." 

"  Are  we  not  ready  ?  " 

"  Doubtless  ;  but  there  are  still  some  precautions  to  be  taken, 
to  deaden  as  much  as  possible  the  first  shock." 

"  Have  we  not  the  water-cushions  placed  between  the  partition- 
breaks,  whose  elasticity  will  sufficiently  protect  us  ?  " 

"  I  Iwpe  so,  Michel,"  replied  Barbicane  gently,  "  but  I  am  not 


sure." 


"  Ah,  the  joker  ! "  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan.  "  He  hopes  !— Ho 
is  not  sure  ! — and  he  waits  for  the  moment  Avhen  we  are  encased 
to  make  this  deplorable  admission  !  I  beg  to  be  allowed  to  get 
out!" 

"  And  how  ?"  asked  Barbicane. 

"Humph!"  said  Michel  Ardan,  "it  is  not  easy  ;  we  are  in 
the  train,  and  the  guard's  whistle  will  sound  before  twenty-four 
minutes  are  over." 

" Twenty"  said  Nicholl. 

For  some  moments  the  three  travellers  looked  at  each  other. 
Then  they  began  to  examine  the  objects  imprisoned  with  them. 

"  Everything  is  in  its  place,"  said  Barbicane.  "  We  have  now 
to  decide  how  we  can  best  place  ourselves  to  resist  the  shock. 


154  ROUND    THE  MOON. 

Position  cannot  be  an  iudiffeient  matter  ;  and  we  must,  as  much 
as  possible,  prevent  the  rush  of  blood  to  the  head." 

"  Just  so,"  said  NichoU. 

"  Then,"  replied  Michel  Ardan,  ready  to  suit  the  action  to  the 
word,  "  let  us  put  our  heads  down  and  our  feet  in  the  air,  like  the 
clowns  in  the  grand  circus." 

"  No,"  said  Barbicane,  "  let  us  stretch  ourselves  on  our  sides  ; 
we  shall  resist  the  shock  better  that  way.  Remember  that,  when 
the  projectile  starts,  it  matters  little  whether  we  are  in  it  or 
before  it ;  it  amounts  to  much  the  same  thing." 

"  If  it  is  only  '  much  the  same  thing,'  I  may  cheer  up,"  said 
Michel  Ardan. 

"  Do  you  approve  of  my  idea,  Nicholl  ?  "  asked  Barbicane. 

*'  Entirely,"  replied  the  captain.  "  We've  still  thirteen  minutes 
and  a  half." 

"That  Nicholl  is  not  a  man,"  exclaimed  Michel;  "he  is  a 
chronometer  with  seconds,  an  escape,  and  eight  holes." 

But  his  c  )mpanions  were  not  listening  ;  they  were  taking  up 
their  last  positions  with  the  most  perfect  coolness.  They  were 
like  two  methodical  travellers  in  a  car,  seeking  to  place  them- 
selves as  comfortably  as  possible. 

We  might  well  ask  ourselves  of  what  materials  are  the  hearts 
of  these  Americans  made,  to  whom  the  approach  of  the  most 
frightful  danger  added  no  pulsation. 

Three  thick  and  solidly-made  couches  had  been  placed  in  the 
projectile.  Nicholl  and  Barbicane  placed  them  in  the  centre  of 
the  disc  forming  the  floor.  There  the  three  travellers  were  to 
stretch  themselves  some  moments  before  their  departure. 

During  this  time,  Ardan,  not  being  able  to  keep  still,  turned  in 
his  narrow  prison  like  a  wild  beast  in  a  cage,  chatting  with  his 
friends,  speaking  to  the  dogs  Diana  and  Satellite,  to  whom,  as 
may  be  seen,  he  had  given  significant  names. 

"  Ah,  Diana  !  Ah,  Satellite  ! "  he  exclaimed,  teazing  them  ; 
"so  you  arc  going  to  show  the  moon-dogs  the  good  habits  of  the 


DIANA  AND  SATELLlTt:. 


Ip.  154.] 


FROM   20  Miy.    PAST    lO  TO    47  MI.Y.    PAST    lO    P.M.         1 55 

dogs  of  the  earth  !  That  will  do  honour  to  the  canine  race  !  If 
ever  we  do  come  down  again,  I  will  bi'ing  a  cross  type  of  *  moon- 
dogs,'  which  will  make  a  stir  !" 

"  If  there  are  dogs  in  the  moon,"  said  Barhicane. 

"There  are,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  "just  as  there  are  horses, 
cows,  donkeys,  and  chickens.     I  bet  that  we  shall  find  chickens." 

"A  hundred  dollars  we  shall  find  none  !"  said  Nicholl. 

"Done,  my  captain!"  replied  Ardan,  clasping  NichoU's  hand, 
"But,  by  the  bye,  you  have  already  lost  three  bets  with  our 
president,  as  the  necessary  funds  for  the  enterprise  have  been 
found,  as  the  operation  of  casting  has  been  successful,  and  lastly, 
as  the  Columbiad  has  been  loaded  without  accident,  six  thousand 
dollars." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Nicholl.  "  Thirty-seven  minutes  six  seconds 
past  ten." 

"  It  is  understood,  captain.  "Well,  before  another  quarter  of 
an  hour  you  will  have  to  count  9000  dollars  to  the  president  ; 
4000  because  the  Columbiad  will  not  burst,  and  5000  because  the 
projectile  will  rise  more  than  six  miles  in  the  air." 

"  I  have  the  dollars,"  replied  Nicholl,  slapping  the  pocket  of 
his  coat.     I  only  ask  to  be  allowed  to  pay." 

"  Come,  Nicholl,  I  see  that  you  are  a  man  of  method,  which  I 
could  never  be  ;  but  indeed  you  have  made  a  series  of  bets  of 
very  little  advantage  to  yourself,  allow  me  to  tell  you." 

"And  why  ?"  asked  Nicholl. 

"  Because,  if  you  gain  the  first,  the  Columbiad  will  have  burst, 
and  the  projectile  with  it  ;  and  Barbicane  will  no  longer  be  there 
to  reimburse  your  dollars." 

"My  stake  is  deposited  at  the  bank  in  Baltimore,"  replied 
Barbicane  simply ;  "  and  if  Nicholl  is  not  there,  it  will  go  to  his 
heirs." 

■    "Ah,    you   practical   men!"    exclaimed    Michel    Ardan;    "I 
admire  you  the  more  for  not  being  able  t.>  understand  you." 

"  Forty-two  minutes  past  ten !  "  said  Nicholl. 


156  ROUND    T-HE  MOON. 


"  Only  five  minutes  more  !"  answered  Barbicane. 

"  Yes,  five  little  minutes  !"  replied  Michel  Ardan  ;  "  and  we 
are  enclosed  in  a  projectile,  at  the  bottom  of  a  gun  900  feet  long! 
And  under  this  pi'ojectile  are  rammed  400,000  lbs.  of  gun-cottou, 
Avhich  is  equal  to  1,600,000 lbs.  of  ordinary  powder!  And 
friend  Murchison,  with  his  chronometer  in  hand,  his  eye  fixed  on 
the  needle,  his  fiaiger  on  the  electric  apparatus,  is  counting  tlie 
seconds  preparatory  to  launching  us  into  interplanetary  space." 

"Enough,  Michel,  enough!"  said  Barbicane,  in  a  serious  voice; 
"  let  us  prepare.  A  few  instants  alone  separate  us  from  an 
eventful  moment.     One  clasp  of  the  hand,  my  friends." 

"  Yes,"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan,  more  moved  than  he  wished 
to  appear  j  and  the  three  bold  companions  were  united  in  a  last 
embrace. 

"  God  preserve  us  !"  said  the  religious  Barbicane. 

Michel  Ardan  and  Kicholl  stretched  themselves  on  the  couclies 
placed  in  the  centre  of  the  disc. 

"  Forty  seven  minutes  past  ten  1"  murmured  the  captain. 

"  Twenty  seconds  more  I "  Barbicane  quickly  put  out  the  gas 
and  lay  down  by  his  companions,  and  the  profound  silence  was 
only  broken  by  the  ticking  of  the  chronometer  marking  the 
seconds. 

Suddenly  a  dreadful  shock  was  felt,  and  the  projectile,  under 
the  force  of  six  billions  of  litres  of  gas,  developed  by  the  com- 
bustion of  the  pyroxyle,  mounted  into  space. 


THE  COURAGEOUS  FKENCHMAN. 


[p.  157.] 


THE  FIRST  HALF-HOUR.  157 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE   FIRST   HALF-nOUK. 


What  had  happened  ?  What  effect  had  this  frightful  shock 
produced  ?  Had  the  ingenuity  of  the  constructors  of  the  pro- 
jectile obtained  any  happy  result  ?  Had  the  shock  been  deadened, 
thanks  to  the  springs,  the  four  plags,  the  water-cushions,  and  the 
partition-breaks  ?  Had  they  been  able  to  subdue  the  frightful 
pressure  of  the  initiatory  speed  of  more  than  11,000  yards,  which 
was  enough  to  traverse  Paris  or  New  York  in  a  second  ?  This 
was  evidently  the  question  suggested  to  the  thousand  spectators 
of  this  moving  scene.  They  forgot  the  aim  of  the  journey,  and 
thought  only  of  the  travellers.  And  if  one  amongst  them — Joseph 
T.  Maston  for  example — could  have  cast  one  glimpse  into  the 
projectile,  what  would  he  have  seen  ? 

Nothing  then.  The  darkness  was  profound.  But  its  cylindro- 
conical  partitions  had  resisted  wonderfully.  Not  a  rent  or  a 
dent  any  where !  The  wonderful  projectile  was  not  even  heated 
under  the  intense  deflagration  of  the  powder,  nor  liquefied,  as 
they  seemed  to  fear,  in  a  shower  of  aluminium. 

The  interior  showed  but  little  disorder  ;  indeed,  only  a  few 
objects  had  been  violently  thrown  towards  the  roof;  but  the  most 
important  seemed  not  to  have  suffered  from  the  shock  at  all ; 
their  fixtures  were  intact. 

On  the  movable  disc,  sunk  down  to  the  bottom  by  the  smashing 
of  the  partition-breaks  and  the  escape  of  the  water,  three  bodies 
lay  apparently  lifelesg.     Barbicane,  Nicholl,  and  Michel  Ardan — 


158  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


(lid  they  still  breathe  ?  or  was  the  projectile  nothing  now  but  a 
metal  coffin,  bearing  three  corpses  into  space  ? 

Some  minutes  after  the  departure  of  the  projectile,  one  of  the 
bodies  moved,  shook  its  arms,  lifted  its  head,  and  finally  succeeded 
in  getting  on  its  knees.  It  was  Michel  Ardan.  He  felt  himself 
all  over,  gave  a  sonorous  "  Hem  !"  and  then  said, — 

"  Michel  Ardan  is  whole.     How  about  the  others  ?  " 

The  courageous  Fienchmau  tried  to  rise,  but  could  not  stand. 
His  head  swam,  from  the  rush  of  blood ;  he  was  blind ;  he  was 
like  a  drunken  man. 

"  Bur-r  !"  said  he.  "  It  produces  the  same  effect  as  two  bottles 
of  Gorton,  though  perhaps  less  agreeable  to  swallow."  Then, 
passing  his  hand  several  times  across  his  forehead  and  rubbing 
his  temples,  he  called  in  a  firm  voice, — 

"Nicholl!  Barbicaue!" 

He  waited  anxiously.  No  answer  ;  not  even  a  sigh  to  show 
that  the  hearts  of  his  companions  were  still  beating.  He  called 
again.     The  same  silence. 

"  The  devil ! "  he  exclaimed.  They  look  as  if  they  had  fallen 
from  a  fifth  story  on  their  heads.  Bah  !"  he  added,  with  that 
imperturbable  confidence  which  nothing  could  check,  "  if  a 
Frenchman  can  get  on  his  knees,  two  Americans  ought  to  be  able 
to  get  on  their  feet.     But  first  let  us  light  up." 

Ardan  felt  the  tide  of  life  return  by  degrees.  His  blood  became 
calm,  and  returned  to  its  accustomed  circulation.  Another  effort 
restored  his  equilibrium.  He  succeeded  in  rising,  drew  a  match 
from  his  pocket,  and  approaching  the  burner  lighted  it.  The 
receiver  had  not  suffered  at  all.  The  gas  had  not  escaped.  Be- 
sides, the  smell  would  have  betrayed  it  ;  and  in  that  case  Michel 
Ardan  could  not  have  carried  a  lighted  match  with  impunity 
through  the  space  filled  with  hydrogen.  The  gas  mixing  with 
the  air  would  have  produced  a  detonating  mixture,  and  the  ex- 
plosion would  have  finished  what  the  shock  had  perhaps  begun. 
When  the  burner  was  lit,  Ardan  leaned  over  the  bodies  01  his  com- 


THE  FIRST  HALF-HOUR.  159 

panions  :  they  were  lying  one  on  the  other,  an  inert  mass,  NichoU 
above,  Barbicane  underneath. 

Ardau  lifted  the  captain,  propped  him  up  against  the  divan, 
and  began  to  rub  vigorously.  This  means,  used  with  judgment, 
restored  Nicholl,  who  opened  his  eyes,  and  instantly  recovering 
his  presence  of  mind,  seized  Ardan's  hand  and  looked  around 
him. 

"  And  Barbicane  ?  "  said  he. 

•'  Each  in  turn,"  replied  Michel  Ardan.  "  I  began  with  you, 
NichoU,  because  you  were  on  the  top.  Now  let  us  look  to  Bar- 
bicane." Saying  Avhich,  Ardau  and  NichoU  raised  the  president 
of  the  Gun  Club  and  laid  him  on  the  divan.  He  seemed  to  have 
suffered  more  than  either  of  his  companions  ;  he  was  bleeding, 
but  NichoU  was  reassured  by  finding  that  the  htemorrhage  came 
from  a  slight  wound  on  the  shoulder,  a  mere  graze,  which  he 
bound  up  carefully. 

StiU,  Barbicane  was  a  long  time  coming  to  himself,  which 
frightened  his  friends,  who  did  not  spare  friction. 

"  He  breathes  though,"  said  NichoU,  putting  his  ear  to  the 
chest  of  the  wounded  man. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Ardan,  "  he  breathes  like  a  man  who  has  some 
notion  of  that  daily  operation.  Rub,  NichoU ;  let  us  rub  harder." 
And  the  two  improvised  practitioners  worked  so  hard  and  so 
well  that  Barbicane  recovered  his  senses.  He  opened  his  eyes, 
sat  up,  took  his  two  friends  by  the  hands,  and  his  first  words 
were — 

"  Nicholl,  are  we  moving  ?  " 

NichoU  and  Barbicane  looked  at  each  other  ;  they  had  not  yet 
troubled  themselves  about  the  projectile  ;  their  first  thought  had 
been  for  the  traveller,  not  for  the  car. 

"  Well,  are  we  really  moving  ?"  repeated  Michel  Ardan. 

"  Or  quietly  resting  on  the  soil  of  Florida  ?  "  asked  Nicholl. 

«0r  at  the  bottom  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico?"  added  Michel 
Ardan. 


l6o  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


"  What  an  idea  !"  exclaimed  the  president. 

And  this  double  hypothesis  suggested  by  his  companions  had 
the  effect  of  recalling  him  to  his  senses.  In  any  case  they  could 
not  yet  decide  on  the  position  of  the  projectile.  Its  apparent 
immovability,  and  the  want  of  communication  with  the  outside, 
prevented  them  from  solving  the  question.  Perhaps  the  pro- 
jectile was  unwinding  its  course  through  space.  Perhaps  after  a 
short  rise  it  had  fallen  upon  the  earth,  or  even  in  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico — a  fall  which  the  narrowness  of  the  peninsula  of  Florida 
would  render  not  impossible. 

The  case  was  serious,  the  problem  interesting,  and  one  that 
must  be  solved  as  soon  as  possible.  Thus,  highly  excited,  Barbi- 
cane's  moral  energy  triumphed  over  physical  weakness,  and  he 
rose  to  his  feet.  He  listened.  Outside  was  perfect  silence  ;  but 
the  thick  padding  was  enough  to  intercept  all  sounds  coming 
from  the  earth.  But  one  circumstance  struck  Barbicane,  viz.,  that 
the  temperature  inside  the  projectile  was  singularly  high.  The 
president  drew  a  thermometer  from  its  case,  and  consulted  it. 
The  instrument  showed  81°  Fahr. 

"Yes,"  he  exclaimed,  "yes,  we  are  moving!  This  stifling 
heat,  penetrating  through  the  partitions  of  the  projectile,  is  pro- 
duced by  its  friction  on  the  atmospheric  strata.  It  will  soon 
diminish,  because  we  are  already  floating  in  space,  and  after 
having  been  nearly  stifled,  we  shall  have  to  suffer  intense  cold. 

"  What !  "  said  Michael  Ardan.  "  According  to  your  showing, 
Barbicane,  we  are  already  beyond  the  limits  of  the  terrestrial 
atmosphere  ?" 

"Without  a  doubt,  Michel.  Listen  to  me.  It  is  fifty-five 
minutes  past  ten  ;  we  have  been  gone  about  eight  minutes  ;  and 
if  our  initiatory  speed  has  not  been  checked  by  the  friction,  six 
seconds  would  be  enough  for  us  to  pass  through  the  forty  miles 
of  atmosphere  which  surrounds  the  globe." 

"  Just  so,"  replied  Nicholl  ;  "  but  in  what  proportion  do  you 
estimate  the  diminution  of  speed  by  friction  ?  " 


THE  FIRST  HALF-HOUR.  l6l 

"lu  the  proportion  of  one-third,  Nicholl.  This  diminution  is 
considerable,  but  according  to  my  calculations  it  is  nothing  less. 
If,  then,  we  had  an  initiatory  speed  of  12,000  yards,  on  leaving 
the  atmosphere  this  speed  would  be  reduced  to  9165  yards.  In 
any  case  we  have  already  passed  through  this  interval,  and — " 

"And  then,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  "friend  Nicholl  has  lost  his 
two  bets :  four  thousand  dollars  because  the  Columbiad  did  not 
burst ;  five  thousand  dollars  because  the  projectile  has  risen  moro 
than  six  miles.     Now,  Nicholl,  pay  up." 

"Let  us  prove  it  first,"  said  the  captain,  "and  we  will  pay 
afterwards.  It  is  quite  possible  that  Barbicane's  reasoning  is 
correct,  and  that  I  have  lost  my  nine  thousand  dollars.  But  a 
new  hypothesis  presents  itself  to  my  mind,  and  it  annuls  the 
wager." 

"  What  is  that  ?  "  asked  Barbicane  quickly. 

"  The  hypothesis  that,  for  some  reason  or  other,  fire  was  never 
set  to  the  powder,  we  have  not  started  at  all." 

"  My  goodness,  captain,"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan,  "  that 
hypothesis  is  worthy  of  my  brain  !  It  cannot  be  a  serious  one. 
For  have  we  not  been  half  annihilated  by  the  shock  ?  Did  I  not 
recall  you  to  life  ?  Is  not  the  president's  shoulder  still  bleeding 
from  the  blow  it  has  received  ?  " 

"  Granted,"  replied  Nicholl ;  "  but  one  question." 

"  Well,  captain  ?  " 

"  Did  you  hear  the  detonation,  which  certainly  ought  to  be 

loud  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Ardan,  much  surprised  ;  "  certainly  I  did  not 
hear  the  detonation." 

"  And  you,  Barbicane  ?  " 

"  Nor  I,  either." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Nicholl. 

"  Well  now,"  murmured  the  president,  "  why  did  we  not 
hear  the  detonation  ?  " 

The  three  friends  looked  at  each  other  with  a  disconcerted  air. 

u 


1 62  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


It  was  quite  an  iuexplicablc  phenomenon.  The  projectile  had 
started,  and  consequently  there  must  have  been  a  detonation. 

"Let  us  first  find  out  where  we  are,"  said  Barbicauc,  "and 
let  down  the  panel." 

This  very  simple  operation  was  soon  accomplished. 

The  nuts  which  held  the  bolts  to  the  outer  plates  of  the  right- 
hand  scuttle  gave  way  under  the  pressure  of  the  English  wrench. 
These  bolts  were  pushed  outside,  and  buflfers  covered  with  india- 
rubber  stopped  up  the  holes  which  let  them  through.  Imme- 
diately the  outer  plate  fell  back  upon  its  hinges  like  a  porthole, 
and  the  lenticular  glass  which  closed  the  scuttle  appeared.  A 
similar  one  was  let  into  the  thick  partition  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  projectile,  another  in  the  top  of  the  dome,  and  finally,  a 
fourth  in  the  middle  of  the  base.  They  could,  therefore,  make 
observations  in  four  diiferent  directions  :  the  firmament  by  the 
side  and  most  direct  windoAvs,  the  earth  or  the  moon  by  the  upper 
and  under  openings  in  the  projectile. 

Barbicane  and  his  two  companions  immediately  rushed  to  the 
uncovered  window.  But  it  was  lit  by  no  ray  of  light.  Profound 
darkness  surrounded  them,  which,  however,  did  not  prevent  the 
president  from  exclaiming, — 

*'  No,  my  friends,  we  have  not  fallen  back  upon  the  earth  ;  no, 
nor  are  we  submerged  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Yes  !  we  are 
mounting  into  space.  See  those  stars  shining  in  the  night, 
and  that  impenetrable  darkness  heaped  up  between  the  earth 
and  us ! " 

"  Hurrah  !  hurrah  ! "  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan  and  Nicholl  in 
one  voice. 

Indeed,  this  thick  darkness  proved  that  the  projectile  had  left 
the  earth,  for  the  soil,  brilliantly  lit  by  the  moonbeams,  would 
have  been  visible  to  the  travellers,  if  they  had  been  lying  on  its 
Surface.  This  darkness  also  showed  that  the  projectile  had 
passed  the  atmospheric  strata,  for  the  difi'used  light  spread  in  the 
air  would  have  been  reflected  on  the  metal  walls,  which  reflection 


■n. 


IT  Vv'AS  AN  ENORMOUS  DISC. 


[p.  163.) 


THE   FIRST  HALF-HOUR.  1 63 

was  wanting.  This  light  would  have  lit  the  window,  and  the 
window  was  dark.  Doubt  was  no  longer  possible  j  the  travellers 
had  left  the  earth. 

"I  have  lost,"  said  Nicholl. 

"  I  congratulate  you,"  replied  Ardan. 

*'  Here  are  the  nine  thousand  dollars,"  said  the  captain, 
drawing  a  roll  of  paper  dollars  from  his  pocket. 

"  Will  you  have  a  receipt  for  it  ?  "  asked  Barbicarie,  taking  the 
sum. 

"If  you  do  not  mind,"  answered  Nicholl ;  "  it  is  more  business- 
like." 

And  coolly  and  seriously,  as  if  he  had  been  at  his  strong-box,  the 
president  drew  forth  his  note-book,  tore  out  a  blank  leaf,  wrote  a 
proper  receipt  in  pencil,  dated  and  signed  it  with  the  usual  flourish,^ 
and  gave  it  to  the  captain,  who  carefully  placed  it  in  his  pocket- 
book.  Michel  Ardan,  taking  off  his  hat,  bowed  to  his  two 
companions  without  speaking.  So  much  formality  under  such 
circumstances  left  him  speechless.  He  had  never  before  seen 
anything  so  "  American." 

This  affair  settled,  Barbicane  and  Nicholl  had  returned  to  the 
window,  and  were  watching  the  constellations.  The  stars  looked 
like  bright  points  on  the  black  sky.  But  from  that  side  they 
could  not  see  the  orb  of  night,  which,  travelling  from  east  to 
west,  would  rise  by  degrees  towards  the  zenith.  Its  absence 
drew  the  following  i-emark  from  Ardan. 

"  And  the  moon  ;  will  she  perchance  fail  at  our  rendezvous  ?  " 

*'  Do  not  alarm  yourself,"  said  Barbicane  ;  "  our  future  globe 
is  at  its  post,  but  we  cannot  see  her  from  this  side  ;  let  us  open 
the  other." 

As  Barbicane  was  about  leaving  the  window  to  open  the 
opposite  scuttle,  his  attention  was  attracted  by  the  approach  of  a 
brilliant  object.  It  was  an  enormous  disc,  whose  colossal  dimen- 
sion could  not  be  estimated.     Its  face,  which  was  turned  to  the 

1  This  is  a  purely  French  habit.     (Ed.) 
M  2 


164  ROUND    THE   MOON 


eartli,  -vvas  very  bright.  One  might  have  thought  it  a  small 
moon  reflecting  the  light  of  the  larger  one.  She  advanced  ■with 
great  speed,  and  seemed  to  describe  an  orbit  round  the  earth, 
■which  -would  intersect  the  passage  of  the  projectile.  This  body 
revolved  upon  its  axis,  aud  exhibited  the  phenomena  of  all 
celestial  bodies  abandoned  in  space. 

"Ah!"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan,  "what  is  that?  another 
projectile  ?" 

Barbicane  did  not  answer.  The  appearance  of  this  enormous 
body  surprised  and  troubled  him.  A  collision  was  possible,  and 
might  be  attended  with  deplorable  results  ;  either  the  projectile 
would  deviate  from  its  path,  or  a  shock,  breaking  its  impetus, 
might  precipitate  it  to  the  earth  ;  or,  lastly,  it  might  be  irre- 
sistibly drawn  away  by  the  powerful  asteroid.  The  president 
caught  at  a  glance  the  consequences  of  these  three  hypotheses, 
either  of  which  would,  one  way  or  the  other,  bring  their 
experiment  to  an  unsuccessful  and  fatal  termination.  His  com 
pauious  stood  silently  looking  into  space.  The  object  grew 
rapidly  as  it  approached  them,  and  by  au  optical  illusion  the 
projectile  seemed  to  be  throwing  itself  before  it. 

"  By  Jove  ! "  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan,  "  we  shall  run  into 
one  another ! " 

Instinctively  the  travellers  drew  back.  Their  dread  was 
great,  but  it  did  not  last  many  seconds.  The  asteroid  passed 
several  hundred  yards  from  the  projectile  and  disappeared,  not 
so  much  from  the  rapidity  of  its  course,  as  that  its  face  being 
opposite  the  moon,  it  was  suddenly  merged  into  the  perfect 
darkness  of  space. 

"A  happy  journey  to  you,"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan,  with 
a  sigh  of  relief.  "  Surely  infinity  of  space  is  large  enough  for  a 
poor  little  projectile  to  walk  through  without  fear.  Now,  what 
is  this  portentous  globe  which  nearly  struck  us  ?" 

"  I  know,"  replied  Barbicane. 

*'  Oh,  indeed  !  you  know  everything." 


THE   FIRST  HALF-HOUR.  1 65 


"It  is,"  said  Bai'l)icane,  "a  simple  meteorite,  but  an  enormous 
one,  Avhi.ch  the  attraction  of  the  eartli  has  retained  as  a  satellite." 

"  Is  it  possible  !  "  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan  ;  "  the  earth  then 
has  two  moons  like  Neptune  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  friend,  two  moons,  though  it  passes  generally  for 
having  only  one  ;  but  this  second  moon  is  so  small,  and  its  speed 
so  great,  that  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  cannot  see  it.  It  was 
by  noticing  disturbances  that  a  French  astronomer,  M.  Petit,  was 
able  to  determine  the  existence  of  this  second  satellite  and 
calculate  its  elements.  According  to  liis  observations,  this 
meteorite  will  accomplish  its  revoliTtion  round  the  earth  in  three 
hours  and  twenty  minutes,  which  implies  a  wonderful  rate  of 
speed." 

"Do  all  astronomers  admit  the  existence  of  this  satellite?" 
asked  Nicholl. 

"  No,"  replied  Barbicane  ;  "  but  if,  like  us,  they  had  met  it, 
they  could  no  longer  doubt  it.  Indeed,  1  think  that  this  meteorite, 
which,  had  it  struck  the  projectile,  would  have  much  embarrassed 
us,  will  give  us  the  means  of  deciding  what  our  position  in 
space  is." 

"How  ?"  said  Ardan. 

"  Because  its  distance  is  known,  and  when  we  met  it,  we  were 
exactly  4650  miles  from  the  surface  of  the  terrestrial  globe. 

"  More  than  2000  French  leagues,"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan. 
"  That  beats  the  express  trains  of  the  pitiful  globe  called  the 
earth." 

"  I  should  think  so,"  replied  Nicholl,  consulting  his  chrono- 
meter ;  "  it  is  eleven  o'clock,  and  it  is  only  thirteen  minutes  since 
we  left  the  American  Continent." 

"Only  thirteen  minutes  ?"  said  Barbicane. 

"Yes,"  said  Nicholl  ;  "and  if  our  initiatory  speed  of  12,000 
yards  has  been  kept  up,  we  shall  have  made  about  20,000  miles 
in  the  hour." 

"  That  is  all  very  well,  my  friends,"  said  the  president,  "  but 


1 66  ROUND    THE   MOON: 


the  insoluble  question  still  remains.     Why  did  we  not  hear  the 
detonation  of  the  Columbiad  ?" 

For  want  of  an  answer  the  conversation  dropped,  and  Barbi- 
canc  began  thoughtfully  to  let  down  the  shutter  of  the  second 
side.  He  succeeded  ;  and  through  the  uncovered  glass  the  moon 
filled  the  projectile  with  a  brilliant  light.  Nicholl,  as  an  econo- 
mical man,  put  out  the  gas,  now  useless,  and  whose  brilliancy 
prevented  any  observation  of  the  interplanetary  space. 

The  lunar  disc  shone  with  wonderful  purity.  Her  rays,  no 
longer  filtered  through  the  vapoury  atmosphere  of  the  terrestrial 
globe,  shone  through  the  glass,  filling  the  air  in  the  interior  of 
the  projectile  with  silvery  reflections.  The  black  curtain  of  the 
firmament  in  reality  heightened  the  moon's  brilliancy,  which  in 
this  void  of  ether  unfavourable  to  diff'usion  did  not  eclipse  the 
neighbouring  stars.  The  heavens,  thus  seen,  presented  quite  a 
new  aspect,  and  one  which  the  human  eye  could  never  dream  of. 
One  may  conceive  the  interest  with  which  these  bold  men 
watched  the  orb  of  night,  the  great  aim  of  their  journey. 

In  its  motion  the  earth's  satellite  was  insensibly  nearing  the 
zenith,  the  mathematical  point  which  it  ought  to  attain  ninety- 
six  hours  later.  Her  mountains,  her  plains,  every  projection  was 
as  clearly  discernible  to  their  eyes  as  if  they  were  observing  it 
from  some  spot  upon  the  earth  ;  but  its  light  was  developed 
through  space  with  wonderful  intensity.  The  disc  shone  like 
a  platinum  mirror.  Of  the  earth  flying  from  under  their  feet,  the 
travellers  had  lost  all  recollection. 

It  was  Captain  Nicholl  who  first  recalled  their  attention  to  the 
vanishing  globe. 

"  Yes,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  "  do  not  let  us  be  ungrateful  to  it. 
Since  we  are  leaving  our  country,  let  our  last  looks  be  directed  to 
it.  I  wish  to  see  the  earth  once  more  before  it  is  quite  hidden 
from  my  eyes." 

To  satisfy  his  companions,  Barbicane  began  to  imcover  the 
window  at  the  bottom  of  the  projectile,  which  would  allow  them 


THE   FIRST  HALF-HOUR.  167 


to  observe  the  earth  direct.  The  disc,  which  the  force  of  tlie 
projection  had  beaten  down  to  the  base,  was  removed,  not  without 
difficulty.  Its  fragments,  placed  carefully  against  the  wall,  might 
servo  again  upon  occasion.  Then  a  circular  gap  appeared, 
nineteen  inches  in  diameter,  hollowed  out  of  the  lower  part  of  the 
projectile.  A  glass  cover,  six  inches  thick  and  strengthened 
with  upper  fastenings,  closed  it  tightly.  Beneath  was  fixed  an 
aluminium  plate,  held  in  place  by  bolts.  The  screws  beino- 
undone,  and  the  bolts  let  go,  the  plate  fell  down,  and  visible  com- 
munication was  established  between  the.  interior  and  the  exterior. 
Michel  Ardan  knelt  by  the  glass.  It  was  cloudy,  seemingly 
opaque. 

"  Well  !"  he  exclaimed,  '*and  the  earth  ?" 
"  The  earth  ?  "  said  Barbicane.     "  There  it  is." 
"  What !  that  little  thread  ;  that  silver  crescent  ?" 
"  Doubtless,   Michel.     In  four  days,  when  the  moon   will  be 
full,  at  the  very  time  we  shall  reach  it,  the  earth  will  be  new, 
and  Avill  only  appear  to  us  as  a  slender  crescent  which  will  soon 
disappear,  and  for  some  days  will   be  enveloped  in  utter  dark- 


ness." 


"That  the  earth  ?"  repeated  Michel  Ardan,  looking  with  all 
his  eyes  at  the  thin  slip  of  his  native  planet. 

The  explanation  given  by  'President  Barbicane  was  correct. 
The  earth,  with  respect  to  the  projectile,  was  entering  its  last 
phase.  It  was  in  its  octant,  and  showed  a  crescent  finely  traced 
on  the  dark  background  of  the  sky.  Its  light,  rendered  bluish 
by  the  thick  strata  of  the  atmosphere,  was  less  intense  than  that 
of  the  crescent  moon,  but  it  was  of  considerable  dimensions,  and 
looked  like  an  enormous  arch  stretched  across  the  firmament. 
Some  parts  brilliantly  lighted,  especially  on  its  concave  part, 
showed  the  presence  of  high  mountains,  often  disappearing  behind 
thick  spots,  which  are  never  seen  on  the  lunar  disc.  They  were 
rings  of  clouds  placed  concentrically  round  the  terrestrial  globe. 

Whilst  the  travellers  were  trying  to  pierce  the  profound  dark- 


1 68  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


ness,  a  brilliant  cluster  of  shooting  stars  burst  upon  tlieir  eyes. 
Hundreds  of  meteorites,  ignited  by  the  friction  of  the  atmosphere, 
iri'adiated  the  shadow  of  the  luminous  train,  and  lined  the  cloudy 
parts  of  the  disc  with  their  fire.  At  this  period  the  earth  was  in 
its  perihelium,  and  the  month  of  December  is  so  propitious  to 
these  shooting  stars,  that  astronomers  have  counted  as  many  as 
twenty-four  thousand  in  an  hour.  But  Michel  Ardan,  disdaining 
scientific  reasonings,  preferred  thinking  that  the  earth  was  thus 
saluting  the  departure  of  her  three  children  with  her  most 
brilliant  fireworks. 

Indeed  this  was  all  they  saw  of  the  globe  lost  in  the  shadow, 
an  inferior  orb  of  the  solar  world,  rising  and  setting  to  the  great 
planets  like  a  simple  morning  or  evening  star  !  This  globe,  where 
they  had  left  all  their  affections,  was  nothing  more  than  a  fugitive 
crescent ! 

Long  did  the  three  friends  look  without  speaking,  though 
united  in  heart,  whilst  the  projectile  sped  onward  with  an  ever- 
decreasing  speed.  Then  an  irresistible  drowsiness  crept  over 
their  brain.  Was  it  weariness  both  of  body  and  mind  ?  No 
doubt ;  for  after  the  over-excitement  of  those  last  hours  passed 
upon  earth,  reaction  was  inevitable. 

"  Well,"  said  Nicholl,  *'  since  we  must  sleep,  let  us  sleep." 

And  stretching  themselves  on  their  couches,  they  were  all 
three  soon  in  a  profound  slumber. 

But  they  had  not  forgotten  themselves  more  than  a  quarter  of 
an  hour,  when  Barbicane  sat  up  suddenly,  and  rousing  his  com- 
panions with  a  loud  voice,  exclaimed, — 

"I  have  found  it!" 

"  What^have  you  found  ?"  asked  Michel  Ardan,  jumping  from 
his  bed. 

"  The  reason  why  we  did  not  hear  the  detonation  of  the 
Columbiad." 

"  And  it  is —  ?  "  said  Nicholl. 

*'  Because  our  projectile  travelled /asi^r  than  the  sound  I " 


THEIR    PLACE   OF  SHELTER.  169 


CHAPTER  III. 

THEIR   PLACE    OP    SHELTER. 

This  curious  but  certainly  correct  explanation  once  given,  the 
three  friends  returned  to  their  slumbers.  Could  they  have  found 
a  calmer  or  more  peaceful  spot  to  sleep  in?  On  the  earth,  houses, 
towns,  cottages,  and  country  feel  every  shock  given  to  the  exterior 
of  the  globe.  On  sea,  the  vessels  rocked  by  the  waves  are  still 
in  motion ;  in  the  air,  the  balloon  oscillates  incessantly  on  the 
fluid  strata  of  divers  densities.  This  projectile  alone,  floating 
in  perfect  space,  in  the  midst  of  perfect  silence,  ofiered  perfect 
repose. 

Thus  the  sleep  of  our  adventurous  travellers  might  have  been 
indefinitely  prolonged,  if  an  unexpected  noise  had  not  awakened 
them  at  about  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  2nd  of  Decem- 
ber, eight  hours  after  their  departure. 

This  noise  was  a  very  natural  barking. 

"The  dogs!  it  is  the  dogs!"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan,  rising 
at  once. 

"  They  are  hungry,"  said  Nicholl. 

"By  Jove!"  replied  Michel,  "we  have  forgotten  them." 

"Where  are  they?"  asked  Barbicane. 

They  looked,  and  found  one  of  the  animals  crouched  under  the 
divan.  Terrified  and  shaken  by  the  initiatory  shock,  it  had  re- 
mained in  the  corner  till  its  voice  returned  with  the  pangs  of 
hunger.  It  was  the  amiable  Diana,  still  very  confused,  who  crept 
out  of  her  retreat,  though  not  without  much  persuasion,  Michel 
Ardan  encouraging  her  with  most  gracious  words. 


XJO  ROUND    THE    MOON: 


"  Come,  Diana,"  paid  he  ;  "  come,  my  girl  !  thou  whose  destiny 
Avill  be  marked  in  the  cynegetic  annals ;  thou  -whom  the  pagans 
•would  have  given  as  companion  to  the  god  Anubis,  and  Christians 
as  friend  to  St.  Roch  ;  thou  who  art  rushing  into  interplanetary 
space,  and  wilt  perhaps  be  the  Eve  of  all  Selenite  dogs  !  come, 
Diana,  come  here." 

Diana,  flattered  or  not,  advanced  by  degrees,  uttering  plaintive 
cries. 

"  Good,"  said  Barbicane;  "I  see  Eve,  but  where  is  Adam?" 

"Adam?"  replied  Michel;  "Adam  cannot  be  far  off;  he  is 
there  somewhere  ;  we  must  call  him.     Satellite !  here,  Satellite  !" 

But  Satellite  did  not  appear.  Diana  would  not  leave  off 
howling.  They  found,  however,  that  she  was  not  bruised,  and 
they  gave  her  a  pie,  which  silenced  her  complaints.  As  to 
Satellite,  he  seemed  quite  lost.  They  had  to  hunt  a  long  time  before 
finding  him  in  one  of  the  upper  compartments  of  the  projectile, 
whither  spme  unaccountable  shock  must  have  violently  hurled  him. 
The  poor  beast,  much  hurt,  was  in  a  piteous  state. 

"  The  devil ! "  said  Michel. 

They  brought  the  unfortunate  dog  down  with  great  care.  Its 
skull  had  been  broken  against  the  roof,  and  it  seemed  unlikely 
that  he  could  recover  fiom  such  a  shock.  McanAvhile,  he  was 
stretched  comfortably  on  a  cushion.     Once  there,  he  heaved  a  sigh. 

"  We  will  take  care  of  you,"  said  Michel ;  "  we  are  responsible 
for  your  existence.  I  would  rather  lose  an  arm  than  a  paw  of  my 
poor  Satellite." 

Sayiiig  which,  he  offered  some  water  to  the  wounded  dog,  who 
swallowed  it  with  avidity. 

This  attention  paid,  the  travellers  watched  the  earth  and  the 
moon  attentively.  The  earth  was  now  only  discernible  by  a 
cloudy  disc  ending  iu  a  crescent,  rather  more  contracted  than  that 
of  the  previous  evening ;  but  its  expanse  was  still  enormous, 
compared  with  that  of  the  moon,  which  was  approaching  nearer 
and  nearer  ^o  a  perfect  circle. 


THEY  GAVE  IlEP.  A  PIE. 


L;>.  no.] 


THEIR   PLACE   OF  SHELTER.  17I 

"By  Jove!"  said  Michel  Ardaii,  "I  am  really  sorry  that  -we 
did  not  start  when  the  earth  was  full,  that  is  to  say,  when  our 
globe  was  in  opposition  to  the  sun." 

"Why?"  asked  Nicholl. 

"  Because  we  should  have  seen  our  continents  and  seas  in  a 
new  light, — the  first  resplendent  under  the  solar  rays,  Ihe  latter 
cloudy  as  represented  on  some  maps  of  the  Avorld.  I  should  like 
to  have  seen  those  poles  of  the  earth  on  which  the  eye  of  man 
has  never  yet  rested. 

"  I  dare  say,"  replied  Barbicaue ;  "  but  if  the  earth  had  been 
full,  the  moon  would  have  been  new ;  that  is  to  say,  invisible, 
because  of  the  rays  of  the  sun.  It  is  better  for  us  to  see  the 
destination  we  wish  to  reach,  than  the  point  of  departure." 

"You  are  right,  Barbicaue,"  replied  Captain  Nicholl;  "and, 
besides,  when  we  have  reached  the  moon,  we  shall  have  time 
during  the  long  lunar  nights  to  consider  at  our  leisure  the  globe 
on  Avhich  our  likenesses  swarm." 

"  Our  likenesses  !"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan;  "they  are  no  more 
our  likenesses  than  the  Seleuites  are  !  We  inhabit  a  new  world, 
peopled  l)y  ourselves — the  projectile  !  I  am  Barbieane's  likeness, 
and  Bar!  icane  is  NichoU's.  Beyond  ns,  around  lis,  human  nature 
is  at  a'  end,  and  we  are  the  only  population  of  this  microcosm 
until  ■v     become  pure  Selenites. 

"  In  about  eighty-eight  hours,"  replied  the  captain. 

"  W^hich  means  to  say?"  asked  Michel  Ardan. 

"  That  it  is  half-past  eight,"  replied  Nicholl. 

"Very  well,"  retorted  Michel ;  "then  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  find 
even  the  shadow  of  a  reason  why  we  should  not  go  to  breakfast." 

Indeed  the  inhabitants  of  the  new  star  could  not  live  without 
eating,  and  their  stomachs  were  suffering  from  the  imperious 
laws  of  hunger.  Michel  Ardan,  as  a  Frenchman,  was  declared 
chief  cook,  an  important  function,  which  raised  no  rival.  The 
gas  gave  sufHcient  heat  for  the  culinary  apparatus,  and  the  pro- 
vision-box furnished  the  elements  of  this  first  feast. 


172  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


The  breakfast  began  with  three  bowls  of  excellent  soup,  thanks 
to  the  liquefaction  in  hot  water  of  those  precious  cakes  of  Liebig, 
prepared  from  the  best  parts  of  the  ruminants  of  the  Pampas. 
To  the  soup  succeeded  some  beefsteaks,  compressed  by  an  hy- 
draulic press,  as  tender  and  succulent  as  if  brought  straight  from 
the  kitchen  of  an  English  eating-house.  Michel,  who  was 
imaginative,  maintained  that  they  were  even  "  red." 

Preserved  vegetables  ("  fresher  than  nature,"  said  the  amiable 
Michel)  succeeded  the  dish  of  meat ;  and  was  followed  by  some 
cups  of  tea  with  bread  and  butter,  after  the  American  fashion. 

The  beverage  was  declared  exquisite,  and  was  due  to  the 
infusion  of  the  choicest  leaves,  of  which  the  Emperor  of  Russia 
liad  given  some  chests  for  the  benefit  of  the  travellers. 

And  lastly,  to  crown  the  repast,  Ardau  brought  out  a  fine 
bottle  of  Nuits,  which  was  found  "  by  chance  "  in  the  provision- 
box.  The  three  friends  drank  to  the  union  of  the  earth  and  her 
satellite. 

And,  as  if  he  had  not  already  done  enough  for  the  generous 
wine  which  he  had  distilled  on  the  slopes  of  Burgundy,  the  sun 
chose  to  be  of  the  party.  At  this  moment  the  projectile  emerged 
from  the  conical  shadow  cast  by  the  terrestrial  globe,  and  the 
rays  of  the  radiant  orb  struck  the  lower  disc  of  the  projectile 
direct,  occasioned  by  the  angle  which  the  moon's  orbit  makes 
with  that  of  the  earth, 

"  The  sun  ! "  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan. 

"  No  doubt,"  replied  Barbicaue  ;  "  I  expected  it." 

"  But,"  said  Michel,  "  the  conical  shadow  which  the  earth 
leaves  in  space  extends  beyond  the  moon  ?" 

"  Far  beyond  it,  if  the  atmospheric  refraction  is  not  taken  into 
consideration,"  said  Barbicane.  "  But  when  the  moon  is  en- 
veloped in  this  shadow,  it  is  because  the  centres  of  the  three 
stars,  the  sun,  the  earth,  and  the  moon,  are  all  in  one  and  the 
same  straight  line.  Then  the  nodes  coincide  with  the  phases  of 
the  moon,  and  there  is  an  eclipse.     If  we  had  started  when  there 


THE  SUN  CnOSE  TO  BE  OF  THE  I'ARTY. 


[p.  na.] 


THEIR    PLACE   OF  SHELTER.  1 73 

was  an  eclii^se  of  the  moon,  all  oui-  passage  would  have  been  in 
the  shadow,  which  would  have  been  a  pity." 

"Why?" 

"Because,  though  we  are  floating  in  space,  our  projectile, 
bathed  in  the  solar  rays,  will  receive  their  light  and  heat.  It 
economizes  the  gas,  which  is  in  every  respect  a  good  economy." 

Indeed,  under  these  rays  which  no  atmosphere  can  temper, 
either  in  temperature  or  brilliancy,  the  projectile  grew  warm  and 
bright,  as  if  it  had  passed  suddenly  from  winter  to  summer.  The 
moon  above,  the  sun  beneath,  were  inundating  it  with  their  fire. 

"  It  is  pleasant  here,"  said  Nichol. 

"  I  should  think  so,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  "  With  a  little  earth 
spread  on  our  aluminium  planet  we  should  have  green  peas  in 
twenty-four  hours.  I  have  but  one  fear,  which  is  that  the  walls 
of  the  projectile  might  melt." 

"  Calm  yourself,  my  worthy  friend,"  replied  Barbicane ;  "  the 
projectile  withstood  a  very  much  higher  temperatuie  than  this  as 
it  slid  through  the  strata  of  the  atmosphere.  I  should  not  be 
surprised  if  it  did  not  look  like  a  meteor  on  fire  to  the  eyes  of  the 
spectators  in  Florida." 

"But  then  Joseph  T.  Maston  will  think  we  are  roasted  !" 

"  What  astonishes  me,"  said  Barbicane,  "  is  that  we  have  not 
been.     That  Avas  a  danger  we  had  not  provided  for." 

"  I  feared  it,"  said  NichoU  simply. 

"And  you  never  mentioned  it,  my  sublime  captain,"  exclaimed 
Michel  Ardan,  clasping  his  friend's  hand. 

Barbicane  now  began  to  settle  himself  in  the  projectile  as  if  he 
was  never  to  leave  it.  One  must  remember  that  this  aerial  car 
had  a  base  with  a  superficies  of  fifty-four  square  feet.  Its  height 
to  the  roof  was  twelve  feet.  Carefully  laid  out  in  the  inside,  and 
little  encumbered  by  instruments  and  travelling  utensils  which 
each  had  their  particular  place,  it  left  the  three  travellers  a 
certain  freedom  of  movement.  The  thick  window  inserted  in 
the  bottom  could  bear  any  amount  of  weight,  and  Barbicane  and 


174  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


his  companions  walked  upon  it  as  if  it  wei*e  solid  plank ;  but  the 
sun  striking  it  directly  with  its  rays  lit  the  interior  of  the  pro- 
jectile from  beneath,  thus  producing  singular  effects  of  light. 

They  began  by  investigating  the  state  of  their  store  of  water 
and  provisions,  neither  of  which  had  suifered,  thanks  to  the  care 
taken  to  deaden  the  shock.  Their  provisions  were  abundant,  and 
plentiful  enough  to  last  the  three  travellers  for  more  than  a  year. 
Barbicaue  wished  to  be  cautious,  in  case  the  projectile  should  land 
on  a  part  of  the  moon  which  was  utterly  barren.  As  to  water 
and  the  reserve  of  brandy,  which  consisted  of  fifty  gallons,  there 
was  only  enough  for  two  months ;  but  according  to  the  last 
observations  of  astronomers,  the  moon  had  a  low,  dense,  and 
thick  atmosphere,  at  least  in  the  deep  valleys,  and  there 
springs  and  streams  could  not  fail.  Thus,  during  their  passage, 
and  for  the  first  year  of  their  settlement  on  the  lunar  continent, 
these  adventurous  explorers  would  suffer  neither  hunger  nor 
thirst. 

Now  about  the  air  in  the  projectile.  There,  too,  they  were  secure. 
Reiset  and  Reguaut's  apparatus,  intended  for  the  production  of 
oxygen,  was  supplied  with  chlorate  of  potass  for  two  months. 
They  necessarily  consumed  a  certain  quantity  of  gas,  for  they 
were  obliged  to  keep  the  producing  substance  at  a  temperature  of 
above  400*^.  But  there  again  they  were  all  safe.  The  apparatus 
only  wanted  a  little  care.  But  it  was  not  enough  to  renew  the 
oxygen  ;  they  must  absorb  the  carbonic  acid  produced  by  expira- 
tion. During  the  last  twelve  hours  the  atmosphere  of  the  pro- 
jectile had  become  charged  with  this  deleterious  gas.  NichoU 
discovered  the  state  of  the  air  by  observing  Diana  panting  pain- 
fully. The  carbonic  acid,  by  a  phenomenon  similar  to  that  pro- 
duced in  the  famous  Grotto  del  Cane,  had  collected  at  the  bottom  of 
the  projectile  owing  to  its  weight.  Poor  Diana,  with  her  head  low, 
would  suffer  before  her  masters  from  the  presence  of  this  gas.  But 
Captain  NichoU  hastened  to  remedy  this  state  of  things,  by  placing 
on  the  floor  several  receivers  containing  caustic  potash  which  he 


THEIR    PLACE   OF  SHELTER.  1 75 

sliook  about  for  a  time,  and  this  substance,  greedy  of  carbonic 
acid,  soon  completely  absorbed  it,  thus  purifying  the  air. 

An  inventory  of  instruraeuts  was  then  begun.  The  ther- 
mometers and  barometers  had  resisted,  all  but  one  minimum 
thermometer,  the  glass  of  which  was  broken.  An  excellent 
aneroid  was  drawn  from  the  wadded  box  which  contained  it  and 
hung  on  the  Avail.  Of  course  it  was  only  affected  by  and  marked 
the  pressure  of  the  air  inside  the  projectile,,  but  it  also  showed 
the  quantity  of  moisture  which  it  contained.  At  that  moment 
its  needle  oscillated  between  25*24  and  25"08. 

It  was  fine  weather. 

Barbicane  had  also  brought  several  compasses,  which  he  found 
intact.  One  must  understand  that  under  present  couditions  their 
needles  were  acting  wildly,  that  is  without  any  constant  direction. 
Indeed,  at  the  distance  they  were  from  the  earth,  tlie  magnetic 
pole  could  have  no  perceptible  action  upon  the  apparatus ;  but 
the  box  placed  on  the  lunar  disc  might  perhaps  exhibit  some 
strange  phenomena.  In  any  case  it  would  be  interesting  to  see 
whether  the  earth's  satellite  submitted  like  herself  to  its  magnetic 
influence. 

A  hypsometer  to  measure  the  height  of  the  lunar  mountains,  a 
sextant  to  take  the  height  of  the  sun,  glasses  which  would  be 
useful  as  they  neai'ed  the  moon,  all  these  instruments  were  care- 
fully looked  over,  and  pronounced  good  in  spite  of  the  violent 
shock. 

As  to  the  pickaxes  and  diffei-ent  tools  which  were  NichoU's 
especial  choice  ;  as  to  the  sacks  of  different  kinds  of  grain  and 
shrubs  which  Michel  Ardan  hoped  to  transplant  into  Selenite 
ground,  they  were  stowed  away  in  the  upper  part  of  the  pro- 
jectile. There  was  a  sort  of  granary  there,  loaded  with  things 
which  the  extravagant  Frenchman  had  heaped  up.  What  they 
were  no  one  knew,  and  the  good-tempered  fellow  did  not  explain. 
Now  and  then  he  climbed  up  by  cramp-irons  rivetted  to  the  walls, 
but  kept  the  inspection  to  himself.     He  arranged  and  rearranged. 


176  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


he  plunged  bis  hand  rapidly  into  certain  mysterious  hoxes, 
singing  in  one  of  the  falsest  of  voices  an  old  French  refrain  to 
enliven  the  situation. 

Barbicane  observed  with  some  interest  that  his  guns  and  other 
arms  had  not  been  damaged.  These  were  important,  because, 
heavily  loaded,  they  were  to  help  to  lessen  the  fall  of  the  pro- 
jectile, when  drawn  by  the  lunar  attraction  (after  having  passed 
the  point  of  neutral  attraction)  on  to  the  moon's  surface;  a  fall 
which  ought  to  be  six  times  less  rapid  than  it  would  have  been 
on  the  earth's  sui'face,  thanks  to  the  diiference  of  bulk.  The  inspec- 
tion ended  with  general  satisfaction,  when  each  returned  to  watch 
space  through  the  side  windows  and  the  lower  glass  coverlid. 

There  was  the  same  view.  The  Avhole  extent  of  the  celestial 
sphere  swarmed  with  stars  and  constellations  of  wonderful  purity, 
enough  to  drive  an  astronomer  out  of  his  mind  !  On  one  side  the 
sun,  like  the  mouth  of  a  lighted  ove'a,  a  dazzling  disc  without  a 
halo,  standing  out  on  the  dark  background  of  the  sky  !  On  the 
other,  the  moon  returning  its  fire  by  reflection,  and  apparently 
motionless  in  the  midst  of  the  starry  world.  Then,  a  large  spot 
seemingly  nailed  to  the  firmament,  bordered  by  a  silvery  cord :  it 
was  the  earth  !  Here  and  there  nebulous  masses  like  large  flakes  of 
starry  snow ;  and  from  the  zenith  to  the  nadir,  an  immense  ring 
formed  by  an  impalpable  dust  of  stars,  the  "  Milky  Way,"  in  the 
midst  of  which  the  sun  ranks  only  as  a  star  of  the  fourth  magni- 
tude. The  observers  could  not  take  their  eyes  from  this  novel 
spectacle,  of  which  no  description  could  give  an  adequate  idea. 
What  reflections  it  suggested !  What  emotions  hitherto  unknown 
awoke  in  their  souls  !  Barbicane  wished  to  begin  the  relation 
of  his  journey  while  under  its  first  impressions,  and  hour  after 
hour  took  notes  of  all  facts  happening  in  the  beginning  of  the 
enterprise.  He  wrote  quietly,  with  his  large  square  writing,  in  a 
business-like  style. 

During  this  time  Nicholl,  the  calculator,  looked  over  the 
minutes   of    their   passage,   and   worked    out    figures   with  un- 


ARDAN  PLUNGED  HIS  IIAXD  RAPIDLY  INTO  CERTAIN 
MYSTERIOUS  BOXES. 


[p.  176.] 


THEIR    PLACE   OF  SHELTER.  177 

paralleled  dexteritj.  Michel  Anhin  chatted  first  with  Barblcane, 
who  did  not  answer  him,  and  then  with  Nicholl,  who  did  not 
hear  him,  Avith  Diana,  who  nnderstood  none  of  his  theories,  and 
lastly  with  himself,  questioning  and  answering,  going  and  coming, 
busy  with  a  thousand  details ;  at  one  time  bent  over  the  lower 
glass,  at  another  roosting  in  the  heights  of  the  projectile,  and 
always  singing.  In  this  microcosm  he  represented  French 
loquacity  and  excitability,  and  we  beg  you  to  believe  that  they 
were  well  represented.  The  day,  or  rather  (for  the  expression  is 
not  correct)  the  lapse  of  twelve  hours,  which  forms  a  day  upon 
earth,  closed  with  a  plentiful  supper  carefully  prepared.  No 
accident  of  any  nature  had  yet  happened  to  shake  the  travellers' 
confidence ;  so,  full  of  hope,  already  sure  of  success,  they  slept 
peacefully,  whilst  the  projectile  under  an  uniformly  decx'easing 
speed  was  crossing  the  sky. 


lyg  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

A   LITTLE   ALGEBRA. 

The  night  passed  without  incident.  The  word  "  night,"  however, 
is  scarcely  applicable. 

The  position  of  the  projectile  with  regard  to  the  sun  did  not 
change.  Astronomically,  it  was  daylight  on  the  lower  part,  and 
night  on  the  upper ;  so  when  during  this  narrative  these  words 
are  used,  they  represent  the  lapse  of  time  between  the  rising  and 
setting  of  the  sun  upon  the  earth. 

The  travellers'  sleep  was  rendered  more  peaceful  by  the  pro- 
jectile's excessive  speed,  for  it  seemed  absolutely  motionless.  Not 
a  motion  betrayed  its  onward  course  through  space.  The  rate  of 
progress,  however  rapid  it  might  be,  cannot  pi'oduce  any  sen- 
sible effect  on  the  human  frame  when  it  takes  place  in  a  vacuum, 
or  when  the  mass  of  air  circulates  with  the  body  which  is  carried 
Avith  it.  What  inhabitant  of  the  earth  perceives  its  speed,  which, 
however,  is  at  the  rate  of  68,000  miles  per  hour  ?  Motion  under 
such  conditions  is  "  felt "  no  more  than  repose  ;  and  Avhen  a  body 
is  in  repose  it  will  remain  so  as  long  as  no  strange  force  displaces 
it ;  if  moving,  it  will  not  stop  unless  an  obstacle  comes  in  its  way. 
This  indifference  to  motion  or  repose  is  called  inertia. 

Barbicane  and  his  companions  might  have  believed  themselves 
pei'fectly  stationary,  being  shut  up  in  the  projectile ;  indeed,  the 
effect  would  have  been  the  same  if  they  had  been  on  the  outside 
of  it.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  moon,  which  was  increasing  above 
them,  they  might  have  sworn  that  they  were  floating  in  complete 
stagnation. 


A    LITTLE   ALGEBRA.  1 79 


That  morning,  the  3ril  of  December,  the  travellers  were 
awakened  by  a  joyous  but  unexpected  noise ;  it  was  the  crowing 
of  a  cock  which  sounded  through  the  ear.  Michel  Ardan,  who 
was  the  first  on  his  feet,  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  projectile,  and 
shutting  a  box,  the  lid  of  which  was  partly  open,  said  in  a  low 
voice,  "  Will  you  hold  your  tongue  ?  That  creature  will  spoil 
my  design!" 

But  NichoU  and  Barbicane  were  awake. 
"  A  cock  ! "  said  NichoU. 

"  Why  no,  my  friends,"  Michel  answered  quickly ;  "  it  was  I 
who  wished  to  awake  you  by  this  rural  sound."  So  saying,  he 
gave  vent  to  a  splendid  cock-a-doodledoo,  which  would  have 
done  honour  to  the  proudest  of  poultry-yards. 
The  two  Americans  could  not  help  laughing. 
"Fine  talent  that,"  said  NichoU,  looking  suspiciously  at  his 
companion. 

"  Yes,"  said  Michel ;  "  a  joke  in  my  country.    It  is  very  Gallic; 
they  play  the  cock  so  in  the  best  society." 
Then  turning  the  conversation, — 

"  Barbicane,  do  you  knoAV  what  I  have  been  thinking  of  all 
night?" 

"  No,"  answered  the  president. 

"  Of  our  Cambridge  friends.  You  have  already  remarked  that 
I  am  an  iofnoramus  in  mathematical  subjects  ;  and  it  is  impossible 
for  me  to  find  out  how  the  savants  of  the  Observatory  were  able 
to  calculate  what  initiatory  speed  the  projectile  ought  to  have  on 
leaving  the  Columbiad  in  order  to  attain  the  moon." 

"  You  mean  to  say,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  to  attain  that  neutral 
point  where  the  terrestrial  and  lunar  attractions  are  equal  ;  for, 
starting  from  that  point,  situated  about  nine-tenths  of  the  distance 
travelled  over,  the  projectile  would  simply  fall  upon  the  moon,  on 
account  of  its  weight." 

"  So  be  it,"  said  Michel  ;  *'  but,  once  more  ;  how  could  they 
calculate  the  initiatory  speed  ?  " 

N    2 


l8o  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


"  Nothing  can  be  easier,"  replied  Barbicane. 

"  And  you  knew  bow  to  make  that  calculation  ?  "  asked  Michel 
Ardan. 

"  Perfectly.  Nicholl  and  I  would  have  made  it,  if  the  Obser- 
vatory had  not  saved  us  the  trouble." 

"  Very  well,  old  Barbicane,"  replied  Michel ;  "  they  might 
have  cut  off  my  head,  beginning  at  my  feet,  before  they  could 
hav;e  made  me  solve  that  problem." 

"  Because  you  do  not  know  algebra,"  answered  Barbicane 
quietly. 

"  Ah,  there  you  are,  you  eaters  of  x^ ;  you  think  you  have  said 
all  when  you  have  said  'Algebra.'" 

"  Michel,"  said  Barbicane,  "  can  you  use  a  forge  without  a 
hammer,  or  plough  without  a  ploughshare  ?  " 

"  Hardly." 

"  Well,  algebra  is  a  tool,  like  the  plough  or  the  hammer,  and  a 
good  tool  to  those  who  know  how  to  use  it." 

"  Seriously  ?  " 

"  Quite  seriously." 

"  And  can  you  use  that  tool  in  my  presence  ?  " 

"  If  it  will  interest  you." 

•*  And  show  me  how  they  calculated  the  initiatory  speed  of  our 
car  ?  " 

"  Yes,  my  worthy  friend  ;  taking  into  consideration  all  the 
elements  of  the  problem,  the  distance  from  the  centre  of  the  earth 
to  the  centre  of  the  moon,  of  the  radius  of  the  earth,  of  its  bulk, 
and  of  the  bulk  of  the  moon,  I  can  tell  exactly  what  ought  to  be 
the  initiatory  speed  of  the  projectile,  and  that  by  a  simple  formula." 

"  Let  us  see." 

"You  shall  see  it ;  only  I  shall  not  give  you  the  real  course 
drawn  by  the  projectile  between  the  moon  and  the  earth  in  con- 
sidering their  motion  round  the  sun.  No,  I  shall  consider  these 
two  orbs  as  perfectly  motionless,  which  will  answer  all  our 
P-u-pose." 


A    LITTLE   ALGEBRA.  l8l 

"  And  why  ?  " 

"Because  it  will  be  trying  to  solve  the  problem  called  'the 
pioblem  of  the  three  bodies,'  for  which  the  integral  calculus  is 
not  yet  far  enough  advanced." 

"  Then,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  in  his  sly  tone,  "  mathematics 
have  not  said  their  last  word  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,"  replied  Barbicane. 

"  Well,  perhaps  the  Selenites  have  carried  the  integral  calculus 
farther  than  you  have  ;  and,  by  the  bye,  what  is  this  '  integral 
calculus  ? ' " 

"  It  is  a  calculation  the  converse  of  the  differential,"  replied 
Barbicane  seriously. 

"  Much  obliged  ;  it  is  all  very  clear,  no  doubt." 

"  And  now,"  continued  Barbicane,  "  a  slip  of  paper  and  a  bit 
of  pencil,  and  before  a  half-hour  is  over  I  will  have  found  the 
required  formula." 

Half  an  hour  had  not  elapsed  before  Barbicane,  raising  his  head, 
showed  Michel  Ardan  a  page  covered  with  algebraical  signs,  in 
which  the  general  formula  for  the  solution  was  contained. 

"  Well,  and  does  Nicholl  understand  what  that  means  ?  " 

"  Of  course,  Michel,"  replied  the  captain.  "  All  these  signs, 
which  seem  cabalistic  to  you,  form  the  plainest,  the  clearest,  and 
the  most  logical  language  to  those  who  know  how  to  read  it." 

"  And  you  pretend,  Nicholl,"  asked  Michel,  "  that  by  means  of 
these  hieroglyphics,  more  incomprehensible  than  the  Egyptian 
Ibis,  you  can  find  what  initiatory  speed  it  was  necessary  to  give 
to  the  projectile  ?  " 

"  Incontestably,"  replied  Nicholl ;  "  and  even  by  this  same  for- 
mula I  can  always  tell  you  its  speed  at  any  point  of  its  transit." 

"On  your  word?" 

"  On  my  word." 

"  Then  you  are  as  cunning  as  our  president." 

"  No,  Michel ;  the  difficult  part  is  what  Barbicane  has  done  ; 
that  is,  to  get  an  equation  which  shall  satisfy  all  the  conditions  of 


J $2  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


the  problem.     The  remainder  is  only  a  question  of  arithmetic, 
requiring  merely  the  knowledge  of  the  four  rules." 

**  That  is  something  I "  replied  Michel  Ardan,  who  for  his  life 
could  not  do  addition  right,  and  who  defined  the  rule  as  a 
Chinese  puzzle,  which  allowed  one  to  obtain  all  sorts  of  totals. 

"  The  expression  v  zero,  which  you  see  in  that  equation,  is 
the  speed  which  the  projectile  will  have  on  leaving  the  atmo- 
sphere." 

"Just  so,"  said  Nicholl  ;  "it  is  from  that  point  that  we  must 
calculate  the  velocity,  since  we  know  already  that  the  velocity  at 
departure  was  exactly  one  and  a  half  times  more  than  on  leaving 
the  atmosphere." 

"  I  understand  no  more,"  said  Michel. 

"  It  is  a  very  simple  calculation,"  said  Barbicane. 

"  Not  as  simple  as  I  am,"  retorted  Michel. 

"  That  means,  that  when  our  projectile  reached  the  limits  of 
the  terrestrial  atmosphere  it  had  already  lost  one- third  of  its 
initiatory  speed." 

"  As  much  as  that  ?  " 

"Yes,  my  friend;  merely  by  friction  against  the  atmospheric 
strata.  You  understand  that  the  faster  it  goes  the  more  resistance 
it  meets  with  from  the  air." 

"  That  I  admit,"  answered  Michel  ;  "  and  I  understand  it, 
although  your  x's  and  zero's,  and  algebraic  formulae,  are  rattling 
in  my  head  like  nails  in  a  bag." 

"  First  effects  of  algebra,"  replied  Barbicane  ;  "  and  now,  to 
finish,  we  are  going  to  prove  the  given  number  of  these  different 
expressions,  that  is,  work  out  their  value." 

"  Finish  me  !  "  replied  Michel. 

Barbicane  took  the  paper,  and  began  again  to  make  his  calcula- 
tions with  great  rapidity,  Nicholl  looked  over  and  greedily  read 
the  work  as  it  proceeded. 

"  That's  it !  that's  it !  "  at  last  he  cried. 

"  Is  it  clear  ?  "  asked  Barbicane. 


DO  I  LNDERSTAND  IT?"'  CRIED  ARDAN;    "MY  IlEAD  IS 
SPLITTING  WITH  IT." 


[p.  183.1 


A    LITTLE  ALGEBRA.  183 


"  It  is  written  in  letters  of  fire,"  said  NiclioU. 

"  Wonderful  fellows  !  "  muttered  Ardau. 

"  Do  you  understand  it  at  last  ?  "  asked  Barbicane. 

"  Do  I  understand  it  ?  "  cried  Ardan  ;  "  my  head  is  splitting 
Avith  it." 

"  And  now,"  said  Niclioll,  "  to  find  out  the  speed  of  the  projec- 
tile when  it  left  the  atmosphere,  we  have  only  to  calculate  that." 

The  captain,  as  a  pi'actical  man  equal  to  all  difficulties,  began  to 
write  with  frightful  rapidity.  Divisions  and  multiplications  grew 
under  his  fingers ;  the  figures  were  like  hail  on  the  white  page. 
Barbicane  watched  him,  whilst  Michel  Ardan  nursed  a  growing 
headache  with  both  hands. 

"  Very  well  ?  "  asked  Barbicane,  after  some  minutes'  silence. 

"  Well ! "  replied  NichoU  ;  "  every  calculation  made,  v  zero,  that 
is  to  say,  the  speed  necessai-y  for  the  projectile  on  leaving  the 
atmosphere,  to  enable  it  to  reach  the  equal  point  of  attraction, 
ought  to  be — " 

"  Yes  ?  "  said  Barbicane. 

"  Twelve  thousand  yards." 

"  What ! "  exclaimed  Barbicane,  starting  ;  "  you  say — " 

"  Twelve  thousand  yards." 

"  The  devil ! "  cried  the  president,  making  a  gesture  of  despair. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  asked  Michel  Ardan,  much  surprised. 

"  What  is  the  matter  !  why,  if  at  this  moment  our  speed  had 
already  diminished  one-third  by  friction,  the  initiatory  speed 
ought  to  have  been — " 

"  Seventeen  thousand  yards." 

"And  the  Cambridge  Observatory  declared  that  12,000  yards 
was  enough  at  starting ;  and  our  projectile,  which  only  started 
with  that  speed — " 

*•  Well  ?  "  asked  Nicholl. 

*'  Well,  it  will  not  be  enough." 

«  Good." 

"  We  shall  not  be  able  to  reach  the  neutral  point." 


184  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


*'  The  deuce  ! " 

"  We  shall  not  even  get  half  way." 

"  lu  the  name  of  the  projectile ! "  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan, 
jumping  as  if  it  was  already  on  the  point  of  striking  the  tei'restrial 
globe. 

*'  And  we  shall  fall  back  upon  the  earth  ! " 


THE   COLD    OF  SPACE.  1 85 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE    COLD    OF   SPACE. 


This  revelation  came  like  a  thunderbolt.  Who  could  have  ex- 
pected such  an  error  in  calculation  ?  Barbicane  Avould  not  believe 
it.  Nicholl  revised  his  figures :  they  were  exact.  As  to  the 
formula  which  had  determined  them,  they  could  not  suspect  its 
truth  ;  it  was  evident  that  an  initiatory  velocity  of  17,000 
yards  in  the  first  second  was  necessary  to  enable  them  to  reach 
the  neutral  point. 

The  three  friends  looked  at  each  other  silently.  There  was  no 
thought  of  breakfast.  Barbicane,  with  clenched  teeth,  knitted 
brows,  and  hand^  clasped  convulsively,  was  watching  through  the 
window.  Nicholl  had  crossed  his  arms,  and  was  examining  his 
calculations.     Michel  Ardan  was  muttering, — 

"  That  is  just  like  those  scientific  men :  they  never  do  anything 
else.  I  would  give  twenty  pistoles  if  we  could  fall  upon  the 
Cambridge  Observatory  and  crush  it,  together  with  the  whole  lot 
of  dabblers  in  figures  which  it  contains." 

Suddenly  a  thought  struck  the  captain,  which  he  at  once 
communicated  to  Barbicane. 

"  Ah !  "  said  he ;  "  it  is  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  ;  we  have 
already  been  gone  thirty-two  hours  ;  more  than  half  our  passage 
is  over,  and  we  are  not  falling  that  I  am  aware  of." 

Barbicane  did  not  auswer,  but,  after  a  rapid  glance  at  the 
captain,  took  a  pair  of  compasses  wherewith  to  measure  the 
angular  distance  of  the  terrestrial  globe ;  then  from  the  lower 
window  he  took  an  exact  observation,  and  noticed  that  the  pro- 


1 86  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


jectile  was  apparently  stationary.  Then  rising  and  wiping  his 
forehead,  on  which  hirge  drops  of  perspiration  were  standing,  he 
put  some  figures  on  paper.  Nicholl  understood  that  the  president 
was  deducting  from  the  terrestrial  diameter  the  projectile's  dis- 
tance from  the  earth.     He  watched  him  anxiously. 

"  No,"  exclaimed  Barbicane,  after  some  moments,  "  no,  we  are 
not  falling  !  no,  Ave  are  already  more  than  50,000  leagues  from  the 
earth.  We  have  passed  the  point  at  which  the  projectile  would 
have  stopped  if  its  speed  had  only  been  12,000  yards  at  starting. 
We  are  still  going  up." 

"  That  is  evident,"  replied  NichoU ;  "  and  we  must  conclude 
that  our  initial  speed,  under  the  power  of  the  400,000  ibs.  of  gun- 
cotton,  must  have  exceeded  the  required  12,000  yards.  Now  I 
can  understand  how,  after  thirteen  minutes  only,  we  met  the 
second  satellite,  which  gravitates  round  the  earth  at  more  than 
2000  leagues'  distance." 

"  And  this  explanation  is  the  more  probable,"  added  Barbicane, 
"  because,  in  throwing  off  the  water  enclosed  between  its  partition- 
breaks,  the  projectile  found  itself  lightened  of  a  considerable 
weight." 

"  Just  so,"  said  Nicholl. 

"  Ah,  my  brave  Nicholl,  we  are  saved !  " 

*'  Very  well,  then,"  said  Michel  Ardan  quietly ;  "  as  we  are  safe, 
let  us  have  breakfast." 

Nicholl  was  not  mistaken.  The  initial  speed  had  been,  very 
fortunately,  much  above  that  estimated  by  the  Cambridge  Obser- 
vatory ;  but  the  Cambridge  Observatory  had  nevertheless  made 
a  mistake. 

The  travellers,  recovered  from  this  false  alarm,  breakfasted 
meriily.  If  they  ate  a  great  deal,  they  talked  more.  Their  confi- 
dence was  greater  after  than  before  "  the  incident  of  the  algebra." 

"Why  should  we  not  succeed?"  said  Michel  Ardan j  "why 
should  we  not  arrive  cafely  ?  We  are  launched ;  we  have  no 
obstacle  before  us,  no  stones  in  our  way ;  the  road  is  open,  more 


THE   COLD   OF  SPACE.  1 87 


SO  than  that  of  a  ship  battling  with  the  sea;  more  open  than  that 
of  a  balloon  battling  Avitli  the  wind;  and  if  a  ship  can  reach  its 
destination,  a  balloon  go  where  it  pleases,  why  cannot  our  pro- 
jectile attain  its  end  and  aim?" 

"  It  will  attain  it,"  said  Barbicane. 

"  If  only  to  do  honour  to  the  Americans,"  added  Michel  Ardan, 
"  the  only  people  who  could  bring  such  an  enterprise  to  a  happy 
termination,  and  the  only  one  which  could  produce  a  President 
Barbicane.  Ah,  now  Ave  are  no  longer  uneasy,  I  begin  to  think, 
What  will  become  of  us  ?     We  shall  get  right  royally  weary." 

Barbicane  and  Nicholl  made  a  gesture  of  denial. 

"  But  I  have  provided  for  the  contingency,  my  friends,"  re- 
plied Michel ;  "  you  have  only  to  speak,  and  I  have  chess, 
draughts,  cards,  and  dominoes  at  your  disposal ;  nothing  is 
wanting  but  a  billiard-table." 

"What!"  exclaimed  Barbicane;  "you  brouglit  away  such 
trifles  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Michel,  "  and  not  only  to  distract  our- 
selves, but  also  with  the  laudable  intention  of  endowing  the 
Selenite  smoking  divans  with  them." 

"  My  friend,"  said  Barbicane,  "  if  the  moon  is  inhabited,  its 
inhabitants  must  have  appeared  some  thousands  of  years  before 
those  of  the  earth,  for  we  cannot  doubt  that  their  star  is  much 
older  than  ours.  If  then  these  Selenites  have  existed  their 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  years,  and  if  their  brain  is  of  the  same 
organization  as  the  human  brain,  they  have  already  invented  all 
that  we  have  invented,  and  even  what  we  may  invent  in  future 
&"es.  They  have  nothing  to  learn  from  us,  and  we  have  every- 
thing to  learn  from  them." 

"What!"  said  Michel;  "you  believe  that  they  have  artists 
like  Phidias,  Michael  Augelo,  or  Raphael  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Poets  like  Homer,  Virgil,  Milton,  Lamartine,  and  Hugo  ?  " 

"  I  am  sure  of  it." 


l88  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


"  Philosophers  like  Plato,  Aristotle,  Descartes,  Kant  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  it.** 

"  Scientific  men  like  Archimedes,  Euclid,  Pascal,  Newton  ?  " 

"  I  could  swear  it." 

"  Comic  writers  like  Arnal,  and  photographers  like — like 
Nadar  ?  " 

"  Certain." 

*'  Then,  friend  Barbicane,  if  they  are  as  strong  as  we  are,  and 
even  stronger — these  Selenites — why  have  they  not  tried  to  com- 
municate with  the  earth  ?  why  have  they  not  launched  a  lunar 
projectile  to  our  terrestrial  regions  ?" 

"  Who  told  you  that  they  have  never  done  so  ?  "  said  Barbicane, 
seriously. 

"Indeed,"  added  Nicholl,  "it  would  be  easier  for  them  than 
for  us,  for  two  reasons  ;  first,  because  the  attraction  on  the  moon's 
surface  is  six  times  less  than  on  that  of  the  earth,  which  would 
allow  a  projectile  to  rise  more  easily;  secondly,  because  it  would 
be  enough  to  send  such  a  projectile  only  at  8000  leagues  instead  of 
80,000,  which  would  require  the  force  of  projection  to  be  ten 
times  less  strong," 

"  Then,"  continued  Michel,  "  I  repeat  it,  why  have  they  not 
done  it  ?  " 

"  And  I  repeat,"  said  Barbicane  ;  "  who  told  you  that  they 
have  not  done  it  ?  " 

"When?" 

"  Thousands  of  years  before  man  appeared  on  earth." 

"  And  the  projectile — where  is  the  projectile  ?  I  demand  to 
see  the  projectile." 

"  My  friend,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  the  sea  covers  five-sixths  of 
our  globe.  From  that  we  may  draw  five  good  reasons  for  sup- 
posing that  the  lunar  projectile,  if  ever  launched,  is  now  at  the 
bottom  of  the  Atlantic  or  the  Pacific,  unless  it  sped  into  some 
crevasse  at  that  period  when  the  crust  of  the  earth  was  not  yet 
hardened." 


THE   COLD    OF  SPACE.  189 


"  Old  Barbicane,"  said  Michel,  "  you  have  an  answer  for  every- 
thing, and  I  bow  before  your  wisdom.  But  there  is  one  hypo- 
thesis that  would  suit  me  better  than  all  the  others,  which  is,  that- 
the  Selenites,  being  older  than  we,  are  wiser,  and  have  not 
invented  gunpowder. 

At  this  moment  Diana  joined  in  the  conversation  by  a  sonorous 
barking.     She  was  asking  for  her  breakfast. 

"  Ah  I "  said  Michel  Ardan,  "  in  our  discussion  we  have  for- 
gotten Diana  and  Satellite." 

Immediately  a  good-sized  pie  was  given  to  the  dog,  which 
devoured  it  hungrily. 

"  Do  you  see,  Barbicane,"  said  Michel,  "  we  should  have  made 
a  second  Noah's  Ark  of  this  projectile,  and  borne  with  us  to  the 
moon  a  couple  of  every  kind  of  domestic  animal." 

*'  I  dare  say  ;  but  room  would  have  failed  us." 

*'  Oh  ! "  said  Michel,  "  we  might  have  squeezed  a  little." 

"  The  fact  is,"  replied  NichoU,  "  that  cows,  bulls,  and  horses, 
and  all  ruminants,  would  have  been  very  useful  on  the  lunar  con- 
tinent, but  unfortunately  the  car  could  neither  have  been  made  a 
stable  nor  a  shed." 

"  Well,  we  might  at  least  have  brought  a  donkey,  only  a  little 
donkey  ;  that  courageous  beast  which  old  Silenus  loved  to  mount. 
I  love  those  old  donkeys  ;  they  are  the  least  favoured  animals  in 
creation  ;  they  are  not  only  beaten  while  alive,  but  even  after  they 
are  dead." 

"  How  do  you  make  that  out  ?"  asked  Bai'bicane. 

"  Why,"  said  Michel,  "  they  make  their  skins  into  drums." 

Barbicane  and  NichoU  could  not  help  laughing  at  this  ridiculous 
remark.  But  a  cry  from  their  merry  companion  stopped  them. 
The  latter  was  leaning  over  the  spot  where  Satellite  lay.  He 
rose,  saying, — 

"  My  good  Satellite  is  no  longer  ill." 

«'  Ah  ! "  said  Nicholl. 

"  No,"  answered  Michel,  "  he  is  dead  !     There,"  added  he,  in  a 


IQO  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


piteous  tone,  ''that  is  embarrassing.    I  much  fear,  my  poor  Diana, 
that  you  will  leave  no  progeny  in  the  lunar  regions!" 

Indeed  the  unfortunate  Satellite  had  not  survived  its  wound. 
It  was  quite  dead.  Michel  Ardan  looked  at  his  friends  with  a 
rueful  countenance. 

"  One  question  presents  itself,"  said  Barbicane.  "  We  cannot 
keep  the  dead  body  of  this  dog  with  us  for  the  next  forty-eight 
hours." 

"No  !  certainly  not,"  replied  Nicholl  ;  "but  our  scuttles  are 
fixed  on  hinges  ;  they  can  be  let  down.  We  will  open  one,  and 
throw  the  body  out  into  space." 

The  president  thought  for  some  moments,  and  then  said, — 

"  Yes,  we  must  do  so,  but  at  the  same  time  taking  very  great 
precautions." 

"  Why  ?  "  asked  Michel. 

"  For  two  reasons  which  you  will  understand,"  answered  Bar- 
bicane. "  The  first  relates  to  the  air  shut  up  in  the  projectile,  and 
of  which  we  miist  lose  as  little  as  possible." 

"  But  we  manufacture  the  air  ?" 

"  Only  in  part.  We  make  only  the  oxygen,  my  worthy  Michel; 
and  with  regard  to  that,  we  must  watch  that  the  apparatus  does 
not  furnish  the  oxygen  in  too  great  a  quantity  ;  for  an  excess 
would  bring  us  very  serious  physiological  troubles.  But  if  we 
make  the  oxygen,  we  do  not  make  the  azote,  that  medium  which 
the  lungs  do  not  absorb,  and  which  ought  to  remain  intact  ;  and 
that  azote  will  escape  rapidly  through  the  open  scuttles." 

"  Oh  !  the  time  for  throwing  out  poor  Satellite  ?  "  said  Michel. 

"  Agreed  ;  but  we  must  act  quickly." 

"  And  the  second  reason  ?  "  asked  Michel. 

"  The  second  reason  is  that  we  must  not  let  the  outer  cold, 
which  is  excessive,  penetrate  the  projectile,  or  we  shall  be  frozen 
to  death." 

"  But  the  sun  ?  " 

"  The  sun  warms  our  projectile,  which  absorbs  its  rays  ;  but  it 


THE   COLD   OF  SPACE.  19I 

does  not  warm  the  vacuum  in  which  we  are  floating  at  this 
moment.  Where  there  is  no  air,  there  is  no  more  heat  than 
diffused  light  ;  and  the  same  with  darkness  :  it  is  cold  where  the 
sun's  rays  do  not  strike  direct.  This  temperature  is  onlj  the 
temperature  produced  by  the  radiation  of  the  stars;  that  is  to  say, 
what  the  terrestrial  globe  would  undergo  if  the  sun  disappeared 
one  day." 

"  Which  is  not  to  be  feared,"  replied  Nicholl. 

"Who  knows  ?"  said  Michel  Ardan.  "But,  in  admitting  that 
the  sun  does  not  go  out,  might  it  not  happen  that  the  earth  might 
move  away  from  it  ?  " 

"  There  !  "  said  Barbicane,  "  there  is  Michel  with  his  ideas." 

"And,"  continued  Michel,  "do  we  not  know  that  in  1861  the 
earth  passed  through  the  tail  of  a  comet  ?  Or  let  us  suppose  a 
comet  whose  power  of  attraction  is  greater  than  that  of  the  sun. 
The  terrestrial  orbit  will  bend  towards  the  wandering  star,  and 
the  earth,  becoming  its  satellite,  will  be  drawn  such  a  distance 
that  the  rays  of  the  sun  will  have  no  action  on  its  surface." 

"  That  might  happen,  indeed,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  but  the  con- 
sequences of  such  a  displacement  need  not  be  so  formidable  as 
you  suppose." 

"  And  why  not  ?  " 

"  Because  the  heat  and  the  cold  would  be  equalized  on  our 
globe.  It  has  been  calculated  that,  had  our  earth  been  carried 
alono-  in  its  course  by  the  comet  of  1861,  at  its  perihelion,  that  is, 
its  nearest  approach  to  the  sun,  it  would  have  undergone  a  heat 
28,000  times  greater  than  that  of  summer.  But  this  heat,  which 
is  sufficient  to  evaporate  the  waters,  would  have  formed  a  thick 
ring  of  cloud,  which  would  have  modified  that  excessive  tempera- 
ture ;  hence  the  coDipensation  between  the  cold  of  the  aphelion 
and  the  heat  of  the  perihelion." 

"  At  how  many  degrees,"  asked  ]Nicholl,  "  is  the  temperature  of 
the  planetary  spaces  estimated  ?  " 

"Formerly,"  replied  Barbicxine,  "it  was  greatly  exaggerated; 


192  ROUND    THM  MOON: 


,  but  HOW,  after  the  calculations  of  Fourier,  of  the  French  Academy 
of  Science,  it  is  not  supposed  to  exceed  60°  Centigrade  below  zero." 

"  Pooh  !"  said  Michel,  "  that's  nothing  I  " 

"It  is  very  much,"  replied  Barbicane  ;  " the  temperature 
which  was  observed  in  the  polar  regions,  at  Melville  Island  and 
Fort  Reliance,  that  is  76°  Fahrenheit  below  zero." 

"  If  I  mistake  not,"  said  Nicholl,  "  M.  Pouillet,  another  savant, 
estimates  the  tempei'ature  of  space  at  250°  Fahr.  below  zero.  We 
shall,  however,  be  able  to  verify  these  calculations  for  ourselves." 

"  Not  at  present  ;  because  the  solar  rays,  beating  directly  upon 
our  thermometer,  would  give,  on  the  contrary,  a  very  high  tem- 
perature. But,  when  we  arrive  in  the  moon,  during  its  fifteen 
days  of  night  at  either  face,  we  shall  have  leisure  to  make  the 
experiment,  for  our  satellite  lies  in  a  vacuum." 

"What  do  you  mean  by  a  vacuum?"  asked  Michel.  "Is  it 
perfectly  such  ?  " 

"  It  is  absolutely  void  of  air." 

"  And  is  the  air  replaced  by  nothing  whatever  ?  " 

"  By  the  ether  only,"  replied  Barbicane. 

"  And  pray  what  is  the  ether  ?" 

"  The  ether,  my  friend,  is  an  agglomeration  of  imponderable 
atoms,  which,  relatively  to  their  dimensions,  ai'e  as  far  removed 
from  each  other  as  the  celestial  bodies  are  in  space.  It  is  these 
atoms  which,  by  their  vibratory  motion,  produce  both  light  and 
heat  in  the  universe." 

They  now  proceeded  to  the  burial  of  Satellite.  They  had 
merely  to  drop  him  into  space,  in  the  same  way  that  sailors 
drop  a  body  into  the  sea  ;  but,  as  President  Barbicane  suggested, 
they  must  act  quickly,  so  as  to  lose  as  little  as  possible  of  that  air 
Avhose  elasticity  would  rapidly  have  spread  it  into  space.  The 
bolts  of  the  right  scuttle,  the  opening  of  which  measured  about 
twelve  inches  across,  were  carefully  drawn,  whilst  Michel,  quite 
grieved,  prepared  to  launch  his  dog  into  space.  The  glass,  raised 
by  a  powerful  lever,  which  enabled  it  to  overcome  the  pressure  of 


THE   COLD   OF  SPACE,  ^  T93 


the  inside  air  on  the  walls  of  the  projectile,  turned  rapidly  on  its 
hinges,  and  Satellite  was  thrown  out.  Scarcely  a  particle  of  air 
could  have  escaped,  and  the  operation  was  so  successful,  that  later 
on  Barbicane  did  not  fear  to  dispose  of  the  rubbish  which  en- 
cumbered the  car. 


196  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


axles  of  the  wheels  ?  To  prevent  their  heating,  because  this  heat 
wouiil  bo  generated  by  the  motion  which  is  thus  lost  by  trans- 
formation." 

"Yes,  I  understand,"  replied  Michel,  "perfectly.  For  example, 
when  I  have  run  a  long  time,  when  I  am  swimming,  when  I  am 
perspiring  in  large  drops,  why  am  I  obliged  to  stop  ?  Simply 
because  my  motion  is  changed  into  heat." 

Barbicane  could  not  help  smiling  at  Michel's  reply  ;  then, 
returning  to  his  theory,  said, — 

"  Thus,  in  case  of  a  shock,  it  would  have  been  with  our  pro- 
jectile as  with  a  ball  which  falls  in  a  burning  state  after  having 
struck  the  metal  plate  ;  it  is  its  motion  which  is  turned  into  heat. 
Consequently  I  affirm  that,  if  our  projectile  had  struck  the  meteor, 
its  speed  thus  suddenly  checked  would  have  raised  a  heat  great 
enough  to  turn  it  into  vapour  instantaneously." 

"  Then,"  asked  Nicholl,  "  what  would  happen  if  the  earth's 
motion  were  to  stop  suddenly  ?" 

"  Her  temperature  would  bo  raised  to  such  a  pitch,"  said 
Barbicane,  "  that  she  would  be  at  once  reduced  to  vapour." 

"Well,"  said  Michel,  "  that  is  a  Avay  of  ending  the  earth  which 
will  greatly  simplify  things." 

"  And  if  the  earth  fell  upon  the  sun  ?  "  asked  Nicholl. 

"According  to  calculation,"  replied  Barbicane,  "the  fall  would 
develope  a  heat  equal  to  that  produced  by  16,000  globes  of  coal, 
each  equal  in  bulk  to  our  terrestrial  globe." 

"  Good  additional  heat  for  the  sun,"  replied  Michel  Ardan,  "of 
which  the  inhabitants  of  Uranus  or  Neptune  would  doubtless  not 
complain  ;  they  must  be  perished  with  cold  on  their  planets." 

"  Thus,  my  friends,"  said  Barbicane,  "  all  motion  suddenly 
stopped  produces  heat.  And  this  theory  allows  us  to  infer  that 
the  heat  of  the  solar  disc  is  fed  by  a  hail  of  meteors  falling  inces- 
santly on  its  surface.     They  have  even  calculated — " 

"Oh,  dear  !"  murmured  Michel,  "the  figures  are  coming." 

"  They   have   even    calculated,"    continued    the   imperturbable 


QUESTION  AND  ANSWER.  I97 

Barbicane,  "that  the  shock  of  each  meteor  on  the  sun  ought  to 
produce  a  heat  equal  to  tliat  of  4000  masses  of  coal  of  an  equal 
bulk." 

"  And  what  is  the  solar  heat  ? "  asked  Michel. 

"  It  is  equal  to  that  produced  by  the  combustion  of  a  stratum  of 
coal  surrounding  the  sun  to  a  depth  of  forty-seven  miles." 

"  And  that  heat — " 

"  Would  be  able  to  boil  two  billions  nine  hundred  millions  of 
cubic  myriametres  ^  of  water." 

"  And  it  does  not  roast  us  ! "  exclaimed  Michel. 

"  No,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  because  the  terrestrial  atmosphere 
absorbs  four-tenths  of  the  solar  heat  ;  besides,  the  quantity  of 
heat  intercepted  by  the  earth  is  but  a  billionth  part  of  the  entire 
radiation." 

"  I  see  that  all  is  for  the  best,"  said  Michel,  "  and  that  this 
atmosphere  is  a  useful  invention  ;  for  it  not  only  allows  us  to 
breathe,  but  it  prevents  us  from  roasting." 

"  Yes  I"  said  NichoU,  "  unfortunately,  it  will  not  be  the  same 
in  the  moon." 

"  Bah  ! "  said  Michel,  always  hopeful.  "  If  there  are  inhabi- 
tants, they  must  breathe.  If  there  are  no  longer  any,  they  must 
have  left  enough  oxygen  for  three  people,  if  only  at  the  bottom  of 
ravines,  where  its  own  weight  will  cause  it  to  accumulate,  and  we 
will  not  climb  the  mountains  ;  that  is  all."  And  Michel,  rising, 
went  to  look  at  the  lunar  disc,  which  shone  wuth  intolerable 
brilliancy, 

"  By  Jove  !"  said  he,  "  it  must  be  hot  up  there  !" 

"  Without  considering,"  replied  Nicholl,  *'  that  the  day  lasts 
360  hours  !" 

"  And  to  compensate  that,"  said  Barbicane,  "  the  nights  have 
the  same  length ;  and  as  heat  is  restored  by  radiation,  their  tem- 
perature can  only  be  that  of  the  planetary  space." 

'  The  myriametre  is  eqaal  to  rather  more  than  10,036  cubic  yards  Eng. 
Ush.— (Ed.) 


X98  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


"  A  pretty  country,  that!"  exclaimed  Michel.  "  Never  mind! 
I  wish  I  was  there !  Ah !  my  dear  comrades,  it  will  be  rather 
curious  to  have  the  earth  for  our  moon,  to  see  it  rise  on  the 
horizon,  to  recognize  the  shape  of  its  continents,  and  to  say 
to  oneself,  '  There  is  America,  there  is  Europe  ;'  then  to  follow  it 
when  it  is  about  to  lose  itself  in  the  sun's  rays  !  By-the-bye, 
Barbicane,  have  the  Selenites  eclipses  ?" 

"  Yes,  eclipses  of  the  sun,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  when  the  centres 
of  the  three  orbs  are  oil  a  line,  the  earth  being  in  the  middle.  But 
they  are  only  partial,  during  which  the  earth,  cast  like  a  screen 
upon  the  solar  disc,  allows  the  greater  portion  to  be  seen." 

"  And  why,"  asked  Nicholl,  "  is  there  no  total  eclipse  ?  Does 
not  the  cone  of  the  shadow  cast  by  the  earth  extend  beyond  the 
moon  ?" 

"  Yes,  if  we  do  not  take  into  consideration  the  refraction  pro- 
duced by  the  terrestrial  atmosphere.  No,  if  we  take  that  refrac- 
tion into  consideration.  Thus  let  8  be  the  horizontal  parallel, 
and  p  the  apparent  semidiameter — " 

"  Oh  ! "  said  Michel.    "  Do  speak  plainly,  you  man  of  algebra  ! " 

"Very  well ;"  replied  Barbicane,  "in  popular  language  the  mean 
distance  from  the  moon  to  the  earth  being  sixty  terrestrial  radii, 
the  length  of  the  cone  of  the  shadow,  on  account  of  the  refrac- 
tion, is  reduced  to  less  than  forty-two  radii.  The  result  is  that 
when  there  are  eclipses,  the  moon  finds  itself  beyond  the  cone  of 
pure  shadoAV,  and  that  the  sun  sends  her  its  rays,  not  only  from 
its  edges,  but  also  from  its  centre." 

"  Then,"  said  Michel,  in  a  merry  tone,  "  why  are  there  eclipses, 
when  there  ought  not  to  be  any  ?" 

"  Simply  because  the  solar  rays  are  weakened  by  this  refrac- 
tion, and  the  atmosphere  through  which  they  pass  extinguishes 
the  greater  part  of  them  ! " 

"  That  reason  satisfies  me,"  replied  Michel.  "  Besides  we  shall 
see  when  we  get  there.  Now,  tell  me,  Barbicane,  do  you  believe 
that  the  moon  is  an  old  comet  ? " 


QUESTION  AND   ANSWER.  I99 

"  There's  an  idea  !" 

"  Yes,"  replied  Michel,  with  an  amiable  swagger,  "  I  have  a 
few  ideas  of  that  sort." 

"  But  that  idea  does  not  spring  from  Michel,"  answered 
Xicholl. 

"  Well,  then,  I  am  a  plagiarist." 

"  No  doubt  about  it.  According  to  the  ancients,  the  Arcadians 
pretend  that  their  ancestors  inhabited  the  earth  before  the  moon 
became  her  satellite.  Starting  from  this  fact,  some  scientific  men 
have  seen  in  the  moon  a  comet  whose  orbit  will  one  day  bring  it 
so  near  to  the  earth  that  it  will  be  held  there  bj  its  attraction." 

"  Is  there  any  truth  in  this  hypothesis  ?"  asked  Michel. 

"  None  whatever,"  said  Barbicane,  "  and  the  proof  is,  that  the 
moon  has  preserved  no  trace  of  the  gaseous  envelope  which  always 
accompanies  comets." 

"  But,"  continued  Nicholl,  "  before  becoming  the  earth's  satel- 
lite, could  not  the  moon,  when  in  her  perihelion,  pass  so  near  the 
sun  as  by  evaporation  to  get  rid  of  all  those  gaseous  substances  ?" 

"  It  is  possible,  friend  Xicholl,  but  not  probable." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Because — Faith  I  do  not  know." 

"  Ah  !"  exclaimed  Michel,"  what  hundreds  of  volumes  we  might 
make  of  all  that  we  do  not  know !" 

"  Ah!  indeed.     What  time  is  it  ?"  asked  Barbicane. 

"  Three  o'clock,"  answered  Nicholl. 

"  How  time  goes,"  said  Michel,  "  in  the  convei'sation  of  scien- 
tific men  such  as  we  are  !  Certainly,  I  feel  I  know  too  much  !  I 
feel  that  I  am  becoming  a  well  !" 

Saying  which,  Michel  hoisted  himself  to  the  roof  of  the  pro- 
jectile, "  to  observe  the  moon  better,"  he  pretended.  During  this 
time  his  companions  were  watching  through  the  lower  glass. 
Nothing  new  to  note  ! 

When  Michel  Ardan  came  down,  he  went  to  the  side  scuttle ; 
and  suddenly  they  heard  an  exclamation  of  surprise  ! 


200  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


"  What  is  it  ?  "  asked  Barbicane, 

The  president  approached  the  window,  and  saw  a  sort  of 
flattened  sack  floating  some  yards  from  the  projectile.  This 
object  seemed  as  motionless  as  the  projectile,  and  was  conse- 
quently animated  with  the  same  ascending  movement. 

"  What  is  that  machine?"  continued  Michel  Ardan.  "  Is  it  one 
of  the  bodies  of  space  which  our  projectile  keeps  within  its  attrac- 
tion, and  which  will  accompany  it  to  the  moon  ?" 

"  What  astonishes  me,"  said  NichoU,  "  is  that  the  specific  weight 
of  the  body,  which  is  certainly  less  than  that  of  the  projectile, 
allows  it  to  keep  so  perfectly  on  a  level  with  it." 

"  NichoU,"  replied  Barbicane,  after  a  moment's  reflection,  "  I  do 
not  know  what  the  object  is,  but  I  do  know  why  it  maintains  our 
level." 

"  And  why  ?" 

"  Because  we  are  floating  in  space,  my  dear  captain,  and  in 
space  bodies  fall  or  move  (which  is  the  same  thing)  Avith  equal 
speed  whatever  be  their  weight  or  form;  it  is  the  air,  which  by  its 
resistance  creates  these  differences  in  weight.  When  you  create  a 
vacuum  in  a  tube,  the  objects  you  send  through  it,  grains  of  dust 
or  grains  of  lead,  fall  with  the  same  rapidity.  Here  in  space  is  the 
same  cause  and  the  same  effect." 

"  Just  so,"  said  NichoU,  "  and  everything  we  throw  out  of  the 
projectile  will  accompany  it  until  it  reaches  the  moon." 

"  Ah!  fools  that  we  are  !"  exclaimed  Michel. 

"  Why  that  expletive  ?"  asked  Barbicane. 

"  Because  we  might  have  filled  the  projectile  with  useful 
objects,  books,  instruments,  tools,  &c.  We  could  have  thrown 
them  all  out,  and  all  would  have  followed  in  our  train.  But 
happy  thought  !  Why  cannot  we  Avalk  outside  like  the  meteor  ? 
Why  cannot  we  launch  into  space  through  the  scuttle  ?  What 
enjoyment  it  would  be  to  feel  oneself  thus  suspended  in  ether, 
more  favoured  than  the  birds  who  must  use  their  wings  to  keep 
themselves  up  I" 


IT  WAS  THE  BODY  OF  SATELLITE. 


[p.  201.] 


QUESTION  AND   ANSWER.  201 


"  Granted,"  said  Barbicane,  "  but  how  to  breathe  ?  " 

"  Hang  the  air,  to  fail  so  inopportunely  !" 

"  But  if  it  did  not  fail,  Michel,  your  density  being  less  than 
that  of  the  projectile,  you  would  soon  be  left  behind." 

"  Then  wo  must  remain  in  our  car  ?" 

"We  must!" 

"  Ah  ! "  exclaimed  Michel,  in  a  loud  voice. 

"  What  is  the  matter,"  asked  NichoU. 

"  I  know,  I  guess,  what  this  pretended  meteor  is  !  It  is  no 
asteroid  which  is  accompanying  us  !  It  is  not  a  piece  of  a  planet." 

"  What  is  it  then  ?  "  asked  Barbicane. 

"  It  is  our  unfortunate  dog  !    It  is  Diana's  husband  ! " 

Indeed,  this  deformed,  unrecognizable  object,  reduced  to  nothing, 
was  the  body  of  SateUite,  flattened  like  a  bagpipe  without  wind, 
and  ever  mounting,  mounting  1 


202  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A   MOMENT   OP   INTOXICATION. 

Thus  a  phenomenon,  curious  but  explicable,  was  happening  under 
these  strange  conditions. 

Every  object  thrown  from  the  projectile  would  follow  the  same 
course  and  never  stop  until  it  did.  There  was  a  subject  for  con- 
versation which  the  whole  evening  could  not  exhaust. 

Besides,  the  excitement  of  the  three  travellers  increased  as 
they  drew  near  the  end  of  their  journey.  They  expected  unfore- 
seen incidents,  and  new  phenomena  ;  and  nothing  would  have 
astonished  them  in  the  frame  of  mind  they  then  were  in.  Their 
over-excited  imagination  went  faster  than  the  projectile,  whose 
speed  was  evidently  diminishing,  though  insensibly  to  themselves. 
But  the  moon  grew  larger  to  their  eyes,  and  they  fancied  if  they 
stretched  out  their  hands  they  could  seize  it. 

The  next  day,  the  5th  of  November,  at  five  in  the  morning,  all 
three  were  on  foot.  That  day  was  to  be  the  last  of  their  journey, 
if  all  calculations  were  true.  That  very  night,  at  twelve  o'clock, 
in  eighteen  hours,  exactly  at  the  full  moon,  they  would  reach  its 
brilliant  disc.  The  next  midnight  would  see  that  journey  ended, 
the  most  extraordinary  of  ancient  or  modern  times.  Thus  from 
the  first  of  the  morning,  through  the  scuttles  silvered  by  its  rays, 
they  saluted  the  orb  of  night  with  a  confident  and  joyous 
hurrah. 

The  moon  was  advancing  majestically  along  the  starry  firma- 
ment. A  few  more  degrees,  and  she  would  reach  the  exact  point 
where  her  meeting  with  the  projectile  was  to  take  place. 


A   MOMENT  OF  INTOXICATIOi  203 

Accoriliuo-  to  his  own  observations,  Bavbicane  reclvoned  that 
they  would  land  on  her  northern  hemisphere,  where  stretch 
immense  planes,  and  where  mountains  are  rare.  A  favourable 
circumstance  if,  as  they  tliought,  the  hinar  atmosphere  was  stored 
only  in  its  depths. 

"  Besides,"  observed  Michel  Ardan,  "a  plain  is  easier  to  dis- 
embark upon  than  a  mountain.  A  Selenite,  deposited  in  Europe 
on  the  summit  of  Mont  Blanc,  or  in  Asia  on  the  top  of  the 
Himalayas,  would  not  be  quite  in  the  right  place." 

"  And,"  added  Captain  Nicholl,  "  on  a  flat  ground,  the  pro- 
jectile will  remain  motionless  when  it  has  once  touched  ;  whereaa 
on  a  declivity  it  would  roll  like  an  avalanche,  and  not  being 
squirrels  we  should  not  come  out  safe  and  sound.  So  it  is  all  for 
the  best." 

Indeed,  the  success  of  the  audacious  attempt  no  longer  appeared 
doubtful.  But  Barbicane  was  preoccupied  with  one  thought  ;  but 
not  wishing  to  make  his  companions  uneasy,  he  kept  silence  on 
the  subject. 

The  direction  the  projectile  was  taking  towards  the  moon's 
northern  hemisphere,  showed  that  her  course  had  been  slightly 
altered.  The  discharge,  mathematically  calculated,  would  carry 
the  projectile  to  the  very  centre  of  the  lunar  disc.  If  it  did  not 
land  there,  there  must  have  been  some  deviation.  What  had 
caused  it  ?  Barbicane  could  neither  imagine,  nor  determine  the 
importance  of  the  deviation,  for  there  were  no  points  to  go  by. 

He  hoped,  however,  that  it  would  have  no  other  result  than 
that  of  bringing  them  near  the  upper  border  of  the  moon,  a  region 
more  suitable  for  landing. 

Without  imparting  his  uneasiness  to  his  companions,  Barbicane 
contented  himself  with  constantly  ob,"erving  the  moon,  in  order  to 
see  whether  the  course  of  the  projectile  would  not  be  altered  ;  for 
the  situation  would  have  been  terrible  if  it  failed  in  its  aim,  and 
being  carried  beyond  the  disc  should  be  launched  into  inter- 
planetary space.   At  that  moment,  the  moon,  instead  of  appearing 


204 


ROUND    THE    MOON. 


flat  like  a  disc,  showed  its  convexity.  If  the  sun's  rays  had  struck 
it  obliquely,  the  shadow  thrown  would  have  brought  out  the  high 
mountains,  which  would  have  been  clearly  detached.  The  eye 
might  have  gazed  into  the  crater's  gaping  abysses,  and  followed 
the  capricious  fissures  which  wound  through  the  immense  plains. 
But  all  relief  was  as  yet  levelled  in  intense  brilliancy.  They  could 
scarcely  distinguish  those  large  spots  which  give  to  the  moon  the 
appearance  of  a  human  face. 

"Face,  indeed!"  said  Michel  Ardan  ;  "but  I  am  sorry  for  the 
amiable  sister  of  Apollo.     A  very  pitted  face  !" 

But  the  travellers,  now  so  near  the  end,  were  incessantly 
observing  this  new  world.  They  imagined  themselves  walking 
tlirough  its  unknown  countries,  climbing  its  highest  peaks,  de- 
scending into  its  lowest  depths.  Here  and  there  they  fancied 
tiiey  saw  vast  seas,  scarcely  kept  together  under  so  rarefied  an 
atmosphere,  and  watercourses  emptying  the  mountain  tributaries. 
Leaning  over  the  abyss,  they  hoped  to  catch  some  sounds  from 
that  orb  for  ever  mute  in  the  solitude  of  space.  That  last  day 
left  them. 

They  took  down  the  most  trifling  details.  A  vague  uneasiness 
took  possession  of  them  as  they  neared  the  end.  This  uneasiness 
would  have  been  doubled  had  they  felt  how  their  speed  had 
decreased.  It  would  have  seemed  to  them  quite  insufficient  to 
carry  them  to  the  end.  It  was  because  the  projectile  then 
"weighed"  almost  nothing.  Its  weight  was  ever  decreasing, 
and  would  be  entirely  annihilated  on  that  line  where  the  lunar 
and  terrestrial  attractions  would  neutralize  each  other. 

But  in  spite  of  his  preoccupation,  Michel  Ardan  did  not  forget 
to  prepare  the  morning  repast  with  his  accustomed  punctuality. 
They  ate  with  a  good  appetite.  Nothing  was  so  excellent  as  the 
soup  liquefied  by  t\\Q  heat  of  the  gas ;  nothing  better  than  the 
preserved  meat.  Some  glasses  of  good  French  wine  crowned 
the  repast,  causing  Michel  Ardan  to  remaik  that  the  lunar  vines, 
warmed  by  that  ardent  sun,  ought  to  distil  even  more  generous 


A    MOMENT  OF  INTOXICATION. 


205 


wiucs;    that  is,    if  they  existed.     In    any   case,    the    fav-seeing 
Frenchman  had  taken  care  not  to  forget  in  his  collection  some 
precious  cuttings  of  the   Medoc  and  Cote  d'Or,  upon  Avhich  ho' 
founded  his  hopes. 

Reiset  and  Reguault's  apparatus  worked  with  great  regularity. 
Not  an  atom  of  carbonic  acid  resisted  the  potash ;  and  as  to  the 
oxygen.  Captain  NichoU  said  "  it  was  of  the  first  quahty."  The 
little  watery  vapour  enclosed  in  the  projectile  mixing  with  the  air 
tempered  the  dryness  ;  and  many  apartments  in  Loudon,  Paris, 
or  New  York,  and  many  theatres,  were  certainly  not  in  such  a 
healthy  condition. 

But  that  it  might  act  with  regularity,  the  apparatus  must  be 
kept  in  perfect  order ;  so  each  morning  Michel  visited  the  escape 
regulators,  tried  the  taps,  and  regulated  the  heat  of  the  gas  by 
the  pyrometer.  Everything  had  gone  Avell  up  to  that  time,  and 
the  travellers,  imitating  the  worthy  Joseph  T.  Maston,  began  to 
acquire  a  degree  of  embonpoint,  which  wouki  have  rendered  them 
unrecognizable  if  their  imprisonment  had  been  prolonged  to  some 
mouths.  In  a  word,  they  behaved  like  chickens  in  a  coop ;  they 
were  getting  fat. 

In  looking  through  the  scuttle  Barbicane  saw  the  spectre  of 
the  dog,  and  other  divers  objects  which  had  been  thrown  from  the 
projectile  obstinately  following  them.  Diana  howled  lugubriously 
on  seeing  the  remains  of  Satellite,  which  seemed  as  motionless  as 
if  they  reposed  on  the  solid  earth. 

"  Do  you  know,  my  friends,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  "  that  if  one 
of  us  had  succumbed  to  the  shock  consequent  on  departure,  we 
should  have  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  bury  him  ?  What  am  I 
saying?  to  etherize  h.\m,  ViS,  here  ether  takes  the  place  of  earth. 
You  see  the  accusing  body  would  have  followed  us  into  space  like 


a  remorse." 


"  That  would  have  been  sad,"  said  NichoU. 
"Ah!"  continued  Michel,  "what  I  regret  is  not  being  able  to 
take   a  walk  outside.     What  voluptuousness   to  float  amid  this 


2o6  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


radiant  ether,  to  bathe  oneself  in  it,  to  wrap  oneself  in  the  sun's 
pure  rays.  If  Barbicane  had  only  thought  of  furnishing  us  with 
a  diving  apparatus  and  an  air-pump,  I  could  have  ventured  out 
and  assumed  fanciful  attitudes  of  feigned  monsters  on  the  top  of 
the  projectile." 

"Well,  old  Michel,"  replied  Barbicane,-" you  would  not  have 
made  a  feigned  monster  long,  for  in  spite  of  your  diver's  dress, 
swollen  by  the  expansion  of  air  within  you,  you  would  have  burst 
like  a  shell,  or  rather  like  a  balloon  which  has  risen  too  high.  So 
do  not  regret  it,  and  do  not  forget  this — as  long  as  we  float  in 
space,  all  sentimental  walks  beyond  the  projectile  are  forbidden." 
Michel  Ardan  allowed  himself  to  be  convinced  to  a  certain 

extent.     He  admitted  that  the  thing   was   difficult  but  not  ini- 

possiile,  a  word  which  he  never  uttered. 

The   conversation   passed   from   this   subject  to  another,  not 

failing  for  an  instant.     It  seemed  to  the  three  friends  as  thouo-h. 

under  present  conditions,  ideas  shot  up  in  their  brains  as  leaves 

shoot  at  the  first  warmth  of  spring.   They  felt  bewildered.  In  the 

middle  of  the  questions  and  answers  which  crossed  each  other, 

KichoU  put  one  question  which  did  not  find  an  immediate  solution. 
"  Ah,  indeed  !"  said  he  ;  "  it  is  all  very  well  to  go  to  the  moon, 

but  how  to  get  back  again  ?" 

His    two    interlocutors    looked    surprised.     One   would   have 

thought  that  this  possibility  now  occurred  to  them  for  the  first 

time. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  that,  Nicholl?"  asked  Barbicane 
gravely. 

"  To  ask  for  means  to  leave  a  country,"  added  Michel,  «  when 
we  have  not  yet  arrived  there,  seems  to  me  rather  inopportune." 

"I  do  not  say  that,  wishing  to  draw  back,"  replied  Nichollj 
"  but  I  repeat  my  question,  and  I  ask,  '  How  shall  we  return  ?'" 

"  I  know  nothing  about  it,"  answered  Barbicane. 

"  And  I,"  said  Michel,  "  if  I  had  known  how  to  return,  I  would 
never  have  started." 


'1  COULD  HAVE  VENTURED  OUT  ON  THE  TOP  OF  THE 
PROJECTILE." 


[p.  203.] 


A  MOMENT  OF  INTOXICATION:  207 

"  There's  an  answer !"  cried  Nicholl. 

"I  quite  approve  of  Michel's  words,"  said  Barbicane ;  "aud 
add,  that  the  question  has  no  real  interest.  Later,  when  we 
think  it  advisable  to  return,  we  will  take  counsel  together.  If 
the  Columbiad  is  not  there,  the  projectile  will  be." 

"That  is  a  step  certainly.     A  ball  Avithout  a  gun  !" 

"  The  gun,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  can  be  manufactured.  The 
powder  can  be  made.  Neither  metals,  saltpetre,  nor  coal  can 
fail  in  the  depths  of  the  moon,  and  we  need  only  go  8000  leagues 
in  order  to  fall  upon  the  terrestrial  globe  by  virtue  of  the  mere 
laws  of  weight." 

"  Enough,"  said  Michel  with  animation.  "Let  it  be  no  longer 
a  question  of  returning :  we  have  already  entertained  it  too  long. 
As  to  communicating  with  our  former  earthly  colleagues,  that  will 
not  be  difficult." 

"And  how?" 

"  By  means  of  meteors  launched  by  lunar  volcanos." 

"  Well  thought  of,  Michel,"  said  Barbicane  in  a  convinced  tone 
of  voice.  "  Laplace  has  calculated  that  a  force  five  times  greater 
than  that  of  our  gun  would  suffice  to  send  a  meteor  from  the 
moon  to  the  earth,  and  there  is  not  one  volcano  which  has  not 
a  greater  power  of  propulsion  than  that." 

"Hurrah!"  exclaimed  Michel;  "these  meteoi's  are  handy 
postmen,  and  cost  nothing.  And  how  we  shall  be  able  to  laugh 
at  the  post-office  administration.     But  now  I  think  of  it — " 

"What  do  you  think  of?" 

"  A  capital  idea.  Why  did  we  not  fasten  a  thread  to  our  pro- 
jectile, and  we  could  have  exchanged  telegi-ams  with  the  earth  ?" 

"The  deuce!"  answered  Nicholl.  "Do  you  consider  the 
weight  of  a  thread  250,000  miles  long  nothing  ?  " 

"As  nothing.  They  could  have  trebled  the  Columbiad's 
charge  ;  they  could  have  quadrupled  or  quintupled  it!"  ex- 
claimed Michel,  with  whom  the  verb  took  a  higher  intonation 
each  time. 


2o8  ROUND    THE   MOON: 


"  There  is  but  one  little  objection  to  make  to  your  proposition," 
replied  Barbieane,  "which  is  that,  during  the  rotary  motion  of 
the  globe,  our  thread  would  have  wound  itself  round  it  like  a 
chain  on  a  capstan,  and  that  it  would  inevitably  have  brought  us 
to  the  ground." 

"By  the  thirty-nine  stars  of  the  Union!"  said  Michel,  "I 
have  nothing  but  impracticable  ideas  to-day ;  ideas  worthy  of 
J.  T.  Maston.  But  I  have  a  notion  that,  if  we  do  not  return  to 
earth,  J.  T.  Maston  will  be  able  to  come  to  us." 

"Yes,  he'll  come,"  replied  Barbieane;  "he  is  a  worthy  and  a 
courageous  comrade.  Besides,  what  is  easier  ?  Is  not  the 
Columbiad  still  buried  in  the  soil  of  Florida?  Is  cotton  and 
nitric  acid  wanted  wherewith  to  manufacture  the  pyroxile?  Will 
not  the  moon  again  pass  to  the  zenith  of  Florida  ?  In  eighteen 
years'  time  will  she  not  occupy  exactly  the  same  place  as  to-day?" 

"  Yes,"  continued  Michel,  "  yes,  Marston  will  come,  and  with 
him  our  fiiends  Elphistone,  Blomsberry,  all  the  members  of  the 
Gun  Club,  and  they  will  be  well  received.  And  by  and  by  they 
will  run  trains  of  projectiles  between  the  earth  and  the  moon! 
Hurrah  for  J.  T.  Maston!" 

It  is  probable  that,  if  the  Hon.  J.  T.  Maston  did  not  hear  the 
hurrahs  uttered  in  his  honour,  his  ears  at  least  tingled.  What 
was  he  doing  then  ?  Doubtless  posted  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
at  the  station  of  Long's  Peak,  he  was  trying  to  find  the  invisible 
projectile  gravitating  in  space.  If  he  was  thinking  of  his  dear 
companions,  we  must  allow  that  they  were  not  far  behind  him ; 
and  that,  under  the  influence  of  a  strange  excitement,  they  were 
devoting  to  him  their  best  thoughts. 

But  whence  this  excitement,  which  was  evidently  growing  upon 
the  tenants  of  the  projectile?  Their  sobriety  could  not  be  doubted. 
This  strange  irritation  of  the  brain,  must  it  be  attributed  to  the 
peculiar  circumstances  under  which  they  found  themselves,  to 
their  proximity  to  the  orb  of  night,  from  which  only  a  few  hours 
separated  them,  to  some  secret  influence  of  the  moon  acting  upon 


A    MOMENT  OF  INTOXICATION.  209 

their  nervous  system  ?  Their  faces  were  as  rosy  as  if  they  had 
been  exposed  to  the  roaring  flames  of  an  oven ;  their  voices 
resounded  in  loud  accents ;  their  words  escaped  like  a  champagne 
cork  driven  out  by  carbonic  acid  ;  their  gestures  became  annoying, 
they  wanted  so  much  room  to  perform  them  ;  and,  strange  to  say, 
they  none  of  them  noticed  this  great  tension  of  the  mind. 

"  Now,"  said  Nicholl,  in  a  short  tone,  "  now  that  I  do  not 
know  whether  we  shall  ever  return  from  the  moon,  I  want  to 
know  what  we  are  going  to  do  there  ?" 

"  What  we  are  going  to  do  there  ?"  replied  Barbicane,  stamp- 
ing with  his  foot  as  if  he  was  in  a  fencing  saloon ;  "I  do  not 
know." 

"  You  do  not  know  ! "  exclaimed  Michel,  with  a  bellow  which 
provoked  a  sonorous  echo  in  the  projectile. 

"  No,  I  have  not  even  thought  about  it,"  retorted  Barbicane, 
in  the  same  loud  tone. 

"  Well,  I  know,"  replied  Michel. 

"  Speak,  then,"  cried  Nicholl,  who  could  no  longer  contain  the 
growling  of  his  voice. 

"  I  shall  speak  if  it  suits  me,"  exclaimed  Michel,  seizing  his 
companions'  arms  with  violence. 

"  It  must  suit  you,"  said  Barbicane,  with  an  eye  on  fire  and  a 
threatening  hand.  "  It  was  you  who  drew  us  into  this  frightful 
journey,  and  we  want  to  know  what  for." 

"  Yes,"  said  the  captain,  "  now  that  I  do  not  know  where  I  am 
going,  I  want  to  know  ichj  I  am  going." 

*'  Why  ? "  exclaimed  Michel,  jumping  a  yard  high,  "  why  ? 
To  take  possession  of  the  moon  in  the  name  of  the  United  States; 
to  add  a  fortieth  State  to  the  Union ;  to  colonize  the  lunar  regions  ; 
to  cultivate  them,  to  people  them,  to  transport  thither  all  the 
prodigies  of  art,  of  science,  and  industry  ;  to  civilize  the  Selenites, 
unless  they  are  more  civilized  than  we  are  ;  and  to  constitute 
them  a  republic,  if  they  are  not  already  one  ! " 

"And  if  there  are  no  Selenites  ?"  retorted  Nicholl,  who,  under 

p 


2IO  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


the  influence  of  this  unaccountable  intoxication,  was  very  con- 
tradietoiy. 

"  Who  said  that  there  were  no  Selenltes  ?"  exclaimed  Michel 
in  a  threatening  tone. 

"  I  do,"  howled  Nicholl. 

"  Captain,"  said  Michel,  "  do  not  repeat  that  insolence,  or  I 
will  knock  your  teeth  down  your  throat!" 

The  two  adversaries  were  going  to  fall  upon  each  other,  and 
the  incoherent  discussion  threatened  to  merge  into  a  fight,  when 
Barbicane  intervened  with  one  bound. 

"  Stop,  miserable  men,"  said  he,  separating  his  two  companions  ; 
"  if  there  are  no  Selenites,  we  will  do  without  them." 

**  Yes,"  exclaimed  Michel,  who  was  not  particular  ;  "  yes,  we 
will  do  without  them.  We  have  only  to  make  Selenites.  Down 
with  the  Selenites  ! "  ^ 

" The  empire  of  the  moon  belongs  to  us,''  said  Nicholl.  "Let 
us  three  constitute  the  republic." 

"  I  will  be  the  congress,"  cried  Michel. 

"  And  I  the  senate,"  retorted  Nicholl. 

"And  Barbicane,  the  president,"  howled  Michel. 

"  Not  a  president  elected  by  the  nation,"  replied  Barbicane. 

**  Very  well,  a  president  elected  by  the  congress,"  cried 
Michel ;  "  and  as  I  am  the  congress,  you  are  unanimously 
elected ! " 

"  Hurrah  !  hurrah !  hurrah  !  for  President  Barbicane,"  ex- 
claimed Nicholl. 

"Hip!  hip  !  hip  !"  vociferated  Michel  Ardan. 

Then  the  President  and  the  Senate  struck  up  in  a  tremendous 
voice  the  popular  song  "  Yankee  Doodle,"  whilst  from  the  Congress 
resounded  the  masculine  tones  of  the  "  Marseillaise." 

Then  they  struck  up  a  frantic  dance,  with  maniacal  gestures, 
idiotic  stampings,  and  somersaults  like  those  of  the  boneless 
clowns  in  the  circus.  Diana,  joining  in  the  dance,  and  howling 
iu  her  tni-n,  jumped  to  the  top  of  the  projectile.     An  unaccount- 


THEY  STRUCK  UP  A  FRANTIC  DANC". 


[p.  213.1 


A    MOMENT  OF  INTOXICATION.  211 

able  flapping  of  -wings  Avas  then  heard  amidst  most  fantastic 
cock-crows,  while  five  or  six  hens  fluttered  like  bats  against  the 
walls. 

Then  the  three  travelling  companions,  acted  upon  by  some 
unaccountable  influence  above  that  of  intoxication,  inflamed  by 
the  air  which  had  set  their  respiratory  apparatus  on  fire,  fell 
motionless  to  the  bottom  of  the  projectile. 


»2 


2  12  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


CHAPTER  Vni. 

AT  SEVENTr-ElGHT  THOUSAND  FIVE  HUNDRED  AND  FOURTEEN 

LEAGUES. 

What  had  happened  ?  Whence  the  cause  of  this  singular  intoxi- 
cation, the  consequences  of  which  might  have  been  very  disas- 
trous ?  A  simple  blunder  of  Michel's,  which,  fortunately,  NichoU 
was  able  to  correct  in  time. 

After  a  perfect  swoon,  which  lasted  some  minutes,  the  captain, 
recovering  first,  soon  collected  his  scattered  senses.  Although  he 
had  breakfasted  only  two  hours  before,  he  felt  a  gnawing  hunger, 
as  if  he  had  not  eaten  anything  for  several  days.  Eveiything 
about  him,  stomach  and  brain,  were  overexcited  to  the  highest 
degree.  He  got  up  and  demanded  from  Michel  a  supplementary 
repast.     Michel,  utterly  done  up,  did  not  answer. 

NichoU  then  tried  to  prepare  some  tea  destined  to  help  the 
absorption  of  a  dozen  sandwiches.  He  first  tried  to  get  some  fire, 
and  struck  a  match  sharply.  What  was  his  surprise  to  see  the 
sulphur  shine  with  so  extraordinary  a  brilliancy  as  to  be  almost 
unbearable  to  the  eye.  From  the  gas-burner  which  he  lit  rose  a 
flame  equal  to  a  jet  of  electric  light. 

A  revelation  dawned  on  NichoU's  mind.  That  intensity  of 
light,  the  physiological  troubles  which  had  arisen  in  him,  the 
overexcitement  of  all  his  moral  and  quarrelsome  faculties,'— he 
understood  all. 

"  The  oxygen  !"  he  exclaimed. 

And  leaning  over  the  air  apparatus,  he  saw  that  the  tap  was 
allowing  the  scentless  colourless  gas  to  escape  freely,  life-giving, 


'  THE  OXYGEN  I  "    HE  EXCLAIMED. 


[p.  212.] 


I 


AT   78,514    LEAGUES.  213 


but  in  its  pure  state  producing  the  gravest  disorders  in  the 
system.  Michel  had  blunderingly  opened  the  tap  of  the  apparatus 
to  the  full. 

Nicholl  hastened  to  stop  the  escape  of  oxygen  with  which  the 
atmosphere  was  saturated,  which  would  have  been  the  death  of 
the  travellers,  not  by  suffocation,  but  by  combustion.  An  hour 
later,  the  air  less  charged  with  it  restored  the  lungs  to  their 
normal  condition.  By  degrees  the  three  friends  recovered  from 
their  intoxication  ;  but  they  were  obliged  to  sleep  themselves 
sober  over  their  oxygen,  as  a  drunkard  does  over  his  wine. 

When  Michel  learnt  his  share  of  the  responsibility  of  this  inci- 
dent, he  was  not  much  disconcerted.  This  unexpected  drunken- 
ness broke  the  monotony  of  the  journey.  Many  foolish  things  had 
been  said  while  under  its  influence,  but  also  quickly  forgotten. 

"  And  then,"  added  the  merry  Frenchman,  "  I  am  not  sorry 
to  have  tasted  a  little  of  this  heady  gas.  Do  you  know,  my 
friends,  that  a  curious  establishment  might  be  founded  with 
rooms  of  oxygen,  where  people  whose  system  is  weakened  could 
for  a  few  hours  live  a  more  active  life.  Fancy  parties  where 
the  room  was  saturated  with  this  heroic  fluid,  theatres  where  it 
should  be  kept  at  high  pressure ;  what  passion  in  the  souls  of 
the  actors  and  spectators  !  what  fire,  what  enthusiasm  !  And  if, 
instead  of  an  assembly  only  a  whole  people  could  be  saturated, 
what  activity  in  its  functions,  what  a  supplement  to  life  it  would 
derive.  From  an  exhausted  nation  they  might  make  a  great  and 
strong  one,  and  I  know  more  than  one  state  in  old  Europe  Avhich 
ought  to  put  itself  under  the  regime  of  oxygen  for  the  sake  of  its 
health  !" 

Michel  spoke  with  so  much  animation,  that  one  might  have 
fancied  that  the  tap  was  still  too  open.  But  a  few  words  from 
Barbicano  soon  scattered  his  enthusiasm. 

"  That  is  all  very  well,  friend  Michel,"  said  he,  "  but  will  you 
inform  us  where  these  chickens  came  from  which  have  mixed 
themselves  up  in  our  concert  ?" 


14 


ROUND    THE  MOON. 


"Those  chickens  ?" 

"  Yes." 

IndceJ,  half  a  dozen  cliickens  and  a  fine  cock  were  walking 
about,  flapping  their  wings  and  chattering. 

"  Ah,  the  awkward  things  !"  exclaimed  Michel.  "  The  oxygen 
has  made  them  revolt." 

"  But  what  do  you  want  to  do  with  these  chickens  ?"  asked 
Barbicane." 

"  To  acclimatize  them  in  the  moon,  by  Jove !" 

"  Then  why  did  you  hide  them  ?" 

"  A  joke,  my  worthy  president,  a  simple  joke,  which  has  proved 
a  miserable  failure.  I  wanted  to  set  them  free  on  the  lunar  con- 
tinent, without  saying  anything.  Oh,  what  would  have  been 
your  amazement  on  seeing  these  earthly-winged  animals  pecking 
in  the  lunar  fields  !" 

"  You  rascal,  you  unmitigated  rascal,"  replied  Barbicane,  '^  you 
do  not  want  oxygen  to  mount  to  the  head.  You  are  always  what 
ice  were  under  the  influence  of  the  gas  ;  you  are  always 
foolish!" 

"  Ah,  who  says  that  we  were  not  wise  then  ?"  replied  Michel 
Ardan. 

After  this  philosophical  reflection,  the  three  friends  set  about 
restoring  the  order  of  the  projectile.  Chickens  and  cock  were 
reinstated  in  their  coup.  But  whilst  proceeding  with  this  opera- 
tion, Barbicane  and  his  two  companions  had  a  most  desired  per- 
ception of  a  new  phenomenon.  From  the  moment  of  leaving  the 
eartli,  their  own  weight,  that  of  the  projectile,  and  the  objects  it 
enclosed,  had  been  subject  to  an  increasing  diminution.  If  they 
could  not  prove  this  loss  of  the  projectile,  a  moment  would  arrive 
when  it  would  be  sensibly  felt  upon  themselves  and  the  utensils 
and  instruments  they  used. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  a  scale  would  not  show  this  loss ;  for 
the  weight  destined  to  weigh  the  object  would  have  lost  exactly 
as  much  as  the  object  itself ;  but  a  spring  steelyard  for  example, 


AT   78,514    LEAGUES.  215 


the  tension  of  wliich  was  independent  of  the  attraction,  would 
have  given  a  just  estimate  of  this  loss. 

We  know  that  the  attraction,  otherwise  called  the  weight,  is  in 
proportion  to  the  densities  of  bodies,  and  inversely  as  the  squares 
of  the  distances.  Hence  this  effect  :  If  the  earth  had  been  alone 
in  space,  if  the  other  celestial  bodies  had  been  suddenly  anni- 
hilated, the  projectile,  according  to  Newton's  laws,  would  weigh 
less  as  it  got  farther  from  the  earth,  but  without  ever  losing  its 
weight  entirely,  for  the  terrestrial  attraction  would  always  have 
made  itself  felt,  at  whatever  distance. 

But,  in  reality,  a  time  must  come  when  the  projectile  would  no 
longer  be  subject  to  the  law  of  weight,  after  allowing  for  the 
other  celestial  bodies  whose  effect  could  not  be  set  down  as  zero. 
Indeed,  the  projectile's  course  was  being  traced  between  the 
earth  and  the  moon.  As  it  distanced  the  earth,  the  terrestrial 
attraction  diminished  :  but  the  lunar  attraction  rose  in  proportion. 
There  must  then  come  a  point  where  these  two  attractions  would 
neutralize  each  other  :  the  projectile  would  possess  weight  no 
longer.  If  the  moon's  and  the  earth's  densities  had  been  equal, 
this  point  would  have  been  at  an  equal  distance  between  the  two 
orbs.  But  taking  the  different  densities  into  consideration,  it  was 
easy  to  reckon  that  this  point  would  be  situated  at  47-60ths  of  the 
whole  journey,  i.e.  at  78,114  leagues  from  the  earth.  At  this 
point,  a  body  having  no  principle  of  speed  or  displacement  in 
itself,  would  remain  immovable  for  ever,  being  attracted  equally 
by  both  orbs,  and  not  being  drawn  more  towards  one  than  towards 
the  other. 

Now  if  the  projectile's  impulsive  force  had  been  correctly  cal- 
culated, it  would  attain  this  point  without  speed,  having  lost  all 
trace  of  weight,  as  well  as  all  the  objects  within  it.  What  would 
happen  then  ?    Three  hypotheses  presented  themselves. 

1.  Either  it  would  retain  a  certain  amount  of  motion,  and  pass 
the  point  of  equal  attraction,  and  fall  upon  the  moon  by  virtue  of 
the  excess  of  the  lunar  attraction  over  the  terrestrial. 


,,g  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


2  Or,  its  speed  fliiling,  and  unable  to  reach  the  point  of  equal 
attraction,  it  would  foil  upon  the  moon  by  virtue  of  the  excess  of 
the  liuiar  attraction  over  the  terrestrial. 

3.  Or,  lastly,  animated  with  sufficient  speed  to  enable  it  to  reach 
the  neutral  point,  but  not  sufficient  to  pass  it,  it  would  remain  for 
ever  Buspeuded  in  that  spot  like  the  pretended  tomb  of  Mahomet, 
between  the  zenith  and  the  nadir. 

Such  was  their  situation  ;  and  Barbicane  clearly  explained 
the  consequences  to  his  travelling  companions,  which  greatly 
interested  them.  But  how  should  they  know  when  the  projec- 
tile had  reached  this  neutral  point  situated  at  that  distance, 
especially  when  neither  themselves,  nor  the  objects  enclosed 
in  the  projectile,  would  be  any  longer  subject  to   the  laws  of 

weight  ? 

Up  to  this  time,  the  travellers,  whilst  admitting  that  this 
action  was  constantly  decreasing,  had  not  yet  become  sensible  to 

its  total  absence. 

But  that  day,  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  Nicholl 
having  accidentally  let  a  glass  slip  from  his  hand,  the  glass, 
instead  of  falling,  remained  suspended  in  the  air. 

"  Ah  1"  exclaimed  Michel  Ai'dan,  "  that  is  rather  an  amusing    | 
piece  of  natural  philosophy." 

And  immediately  divers  other  objects,  firearms  and  bottles, 
abandoned  to  themselves,  held  themselves  up  as  by  enchantment. 
Diana  too,  placed  in  space  by  Michel,  reproduced,  but  without 
any  trick,  the  wonderful  suspension  practised  by  Gaston  and 
Robert  Iloudin.  Indeed  the  dog  did  not  seem  to  kno^V  that  she 
was  floating  in  air. 

The  three  adventurpus  companions  were  surprised  and  stupe- 
fied, despite  their  scientific  reasonings.  They  felt  themselves 
being  carried  into  the  domain  of  wonders  !  they  felt  that  wtight 
was  really  wanting  to  their  bodies.  If  they  stretched  out  their 
arms,  they  did  not  attempt  to  fall.  Their  heads  shook  on  their 
Bhouldere.     Their  feet  no  longer  clung  to  the  floor  of  the  pro- 


L-_  ._^ 


'AH  I    IF  RAPmVEL  UAD  SEEN  US  THUS.' 


[p.  217.] 


AT   78,514    LEAGirES.  21  7 


jectile.  They  were  like  drunken  men  having  no  stability  in 
themselves. 

Fancy  has  depicted  men  witliont  reflection,  others  A^-ithout 
shadow.  But  here  realitij,  by  the  neuti-ah'sation  of  attractive 
forces,  produced  men  in  whom  nothing  had  any  weight,  and  who 
weighed  nothing  themselves. 

Suddenly  Michel,  taking  a  spring,  left  the  floor  and  remained 
suspended  in  the  air,  like  Murillo's  monk  of  the  Cusine  des  Anges. 

The  two  friends  joined  him  instantly,  and  all  three  formed  a 
miraculous  "  Ascension  "  in  the  centre  of  the  projectile. 

"Is  it  to  be  believed?  is  it  probable?  is  it  possible?"  ex- 
cla'imed  Michel ;  "  and  yet  it  is  so.  Ah !  if  Raphael  had  seen  us 
thus,  what  an  *  Assumption'  he  would  have  thrown  upon  canvas  !" 

"The  'Assumption'  cannot  last,"  replied  Baibicane.  "If  the 
projectile  passes  the  neutral  point,  the  lunar  attraction  will  draw 
us  to  the  moon." 

"  Then  our  feet  will  be  upon  the  roof,"  replied  Michel. 

"  No,"  said  Barbicane,  "  becaiise  the  projectile's  centi'e  of 
gravity  is  very  low ;  it  will  only  turn  by  degi'ees." 

"  Then  all  our  portables  will  be  upset  from  top  to  bottom,  that 
is  a  fact." 

"  Calm  yourself,  Michel,"  replied  NichoU ;  "  no  upset  is  to  be 
feared ;  not  a  thing  will  move,  for  the  projectile's  evolution  will 
be  imperceptible." 

"  Just  so,"  continued  Barbicane  ;  "  and  when  it  has  passed  the 
point  of  equal  attraction,  its  base,  being  the  heavier,  will  draw  it 
perpendicularly  to  the  moon;  but,  in  order  that  this  phenomenon 
should  take  place,  we  must  have  passed  the  neutral  line." 

"Pass  the  neutral  line  !  "  cried  Michel;  "  then  let  us  do  as  the 
sailors  do  when  they  cross  the  equator." 

A  slight  side  movement  brought  Michel  back  towards  the 
padded  side;  thence  he  took  a  bottle  and  glasses,  placed  them  "in 
space"  before  his  companions,  and,  drinking  merrily,  they  saluted 
the  line  with  a  triple  hurrah.     The  influence  of  these  attractions 


2i8  ROUND    THp,   MOON. 


Bcarcely  lasted  an  hour;  the  travellers  felt  themselves  iueensibly 
drawn  towards  the  floor,  and  Barbicane  fancied  that  the  conical 
end  of  the  projectile  was  varying  a  little  from  its  normal  direction 
towards  the  moon.  By  an  inverse  motion  the  base  was  approach- 
ing first;  the  lunar  attraction  was  prevailing  over  the  terrestrial; 
the  fall  towards  the  moon  Avas  beginning,  almost  imperceptibly  as 
yet,  Init  by  degrees  the  attractive  force  would  become  stronger, 
the  full  would  be  more  decided,  the  projectile,  drawn  by  its  base, 
would  turn  its  cone  to  the  earth,  and  fall  with  ever-increasing 
ppecd  on  to  the  surface  of  the  Selenite  continent;  their  destina- 
tion would  then  be  attained.  Now  nothing  could  prevent  the 
success  of  their  enterprise,  and  NichoU  and  Michel  Ardan  shared 
Barbicanc's  joy. 

Then  they  chatted  of  all  the  phenomena  which  had  astonished 
them  one  after  the  other,  particularly  the  neutralization  of  the 
laws  of  weight.  Michel  Ardan,  always  enthusiastic,  drew  con- 
clusions which  were  purely  fanciful. 

"  Ah,  my  worthy  friends,"  he  exclaimed,  "  what  progress  we 
should  make  if  on  earth  we  could  throw  off  some  of  that  weight, 
some  of  that  chain  which  binds  us  to  her;  it  would  be  the 
prisoner  set  at  liberty;  no  more  fatigue  of  either  arms  or  legs. 
Or,  if  it  is  true  that  in  order  to  fly  on  the  earth's  surface,  to  keep 
oneself  suspended  in  the  air  merely  by  the  play  of  the  muscles, 
there  requires  a  strength  a  hundred  and  fifty  times  greater  than 
that  which  we  possess,  a  simple  act  of  volition,  a  caprice,  would 
bear  us  into  space,  if  attraction  did  not  exist." 

"Just  so,"  said  NichoU,  smiling;  "if  we  could  succeed  in 
pujijircssiug  weight  as  they  suppress  pain  by  ana3sthesia,  that 
would  change  the  face  of  modern  society!" 

"  Yes,"  cried  Michel,  full  of  his  subject,  "  destroy  weight,  and 
no  more  burdens!" 

"Well  said,"  replied  Barbicane;  "but  if  nothing  had  any 
weight,  nothing  would  keep  in  its  place,  not  even  your  hat  on 
youi-  Lead,  worthy  Michel ;   nor  your  house,  whose  stones  only 


AT   78,514    LEAGUES.  219 

adhere  by  weight ;  not  a  boat,  whose  stability  on  the  water  is 
caused  only  by  weight ;  not  even  the  ocean,  whose  waves 
would  no  longer  be  equalized  by  terrestrial  attraction  ;  and  lastly, 
not  even  the  atmosphe?-e,  whose  atoms,  being  no  longer  held  in 
their  places,  would  disperse  in  space ! " 

"  That  is  tiresome,"  retorted  Michel ;  "  nothing  like  these 
matter-of-fact  peoi^le  for  bi'inging  one  back  to  the  bare  reality." 

"  But  console  yourself,  Michel,"  continued  Barbicane,  "  for  if 
no  orb  exists  from  whence  all  laAVS  of  weight  are  banished,  you  are 
at  least  going  to  visit  one  where  it  is  much  less  than  on  the  earth." 

"The  moon?" 

"  Yes,  the  moon,  on  whose  surface  objects  weigh  six  times  less 
than  on  the  earth,  a  phenomenon  easy  to  prove." 

"  And  we  shall  feel  it  ?  "  asked  Michel. 

"  Evidently,  as  2001bs.  will  only  weigh  301bs.  on  the  surface 
of  the  moon." 

"And  our  muscular  strength  will  not  diminish?" 

"  Not  at  all ;  instead  of  jumping  one  yard  high,  you  will  rise 
eighteen  feet  high." 

"  But  we  shall  be  regular  Herculeses  in  the  moon  !  "  exclaimed 
Michel. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Nicholl ;  "  for  if  the  height  of  the  Selenites  is 
in  proportion  to  the  density  of  their  globe,  they  will  be  scarcely  a 
foot  high." 

"  Lilliputians  ! "  ejaculated  Michel ;  "  I  shall  play  the  part  of 
G  ulliver.  We  are  going  to  realize  the  fable  of  the  giants.  This 
is  the  advantage  of  leaving  one's  own  planet  and  overrunning 
the  solar  world." 

"  One  moment,  Michel,"  answered  Barbicane  ;  "  if  you  wish  to 
]>lay  the  part  of  Gulliver,  only  visit  the  inferior  planets,  such  as 
Mercury,  Venus,  or  Mars,  whose  density  is  a  little  less  than  that 
of  the  earth  ;  but  do  not  venture  into  the  great  planets,  Jupiter,^ 
Saturn,  Uranus,  Neptune ;  for  there  the  order  will  be  changed, 
and  you  will  become  Lilliputian." 


220  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


"  And  in  the  sun  ?  " 

"  In  the  sun,  if  its  density  is  thirteen  hundred  and  twenty-four 
tliousand  times  greater,  and  the  attraction  is  twenty-seven  times 
preiitor  than  on  the  surface  of  our  globe,  keeping  everything 
in  proportion,  the  inhabitants  ought  to  be  at  least  two  hundred 
feet  high." 

"  By  Jove !  "  exclaimed  Michel ;  "  I  should  be  nothing  more 
than  a  pigmy,  a  shrimp  !  " 

"  Gulliver  with  the  giants,"  said  Nicholl. 

"Just  so,"  replied  Barbicane. 

♦'  And  it  would  not  be  quite  useless  to  carry  some  pieces  of 
artillery  to  defend  oneself." 

"Good,"  replied  Nicholl;  "your  projectiles  would  have  no 
effect  on  the  sun  ;  they  would  fall  back  on  the  earth  after  some 
minutes." 

"  That  is  a  strong  remark." 

"It  is  certain,"  replied  Barbicane;  "the  attraction  is  so  great 
on  this  enormous  orb,  that  an  object  weighing  70,0001bs.  on 
the  earth  would  weigh  but  19201bs.  on  the  surface  of  the  sun. 
If  you  were  to  fall  upon  it  you  would  weigh — let  me  see — about 
SOOOlhs.,  a  weight  which  you  would  never  be  able  to  raise  again." 

"  The  devil !  "  said  Michel ;  "  one  would  want  a  portable  crane. 
However,  wo  will  be  satisfied  with  the  moon  for  the  present  • 
there  at  least  we  shall  cut  a  great  figure.  We  will  see  about  the 
Bun  by  and  by." 


THE   CONSEQUENCES  OF  A    DEVIATION.  221 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    CONSEQUENCES    OP   A   DEVIATION. 

Barbicane  liad  now  no  fear  of  the  issue  of  the  joui*ney,  at  least 
as  far  as  the  projectile's  impulsive  force  was  concerned ;  its  own. 
speed  would  carry  it  beyond  the  neutral  line ;  it  would  certainly 
not  return  to  earth  ;  it  would  certainly  not  remain  motionless 
on  the  line  of  attraction.  One  single  hypothesis  remained  to  be 
realized,  the  arrival  of  the  projectile  at  its  destination  by  the 
action  of  the  lunar  attraction. 

It  was  in  reality  a  fall  of  8296  leagues  on  an  orb,  it  is  true, 
where  weight  could  only  be  reckoned  at  one-sixth  of  terrestrial 
weight ;  a  formidable  fall,  nevertheless,  and  one  against  which 
every  precaution  must  be  taken  without  delay. 

These  precautious  were  of  two  sorts,  some  to  deaden  the  shock 
when  the  projectile  should  touch  the  lunar  soil,  others  to  delay  the 
fall,  and  consequently  make  it  less  violent. 

To  deaden  the  shock,  it  was  a  pity  that  Barbicane  was  no 
longer  able  to  employ  the  means  which  had  so  ably  weakened  the 
shock  at  departure,  that  is  to  say,  by  water  used  as  springs  and 
the  partition-breaks. 

The  partitions  still  existed  but  water  failed,  for  they  could  not 
use  their  reserve,  which  was  precious,  in  case  during  the  first 
days  the  liquid  element  should  be  found  wanting  on  lunar 
soil. 

And  indeed  this  reserve  would  have  been  quite  insufficient  for 
a  spring.  The  layer  of  Avater  stored  in  the  projectile  at  their 
departure,  and  on  which  the  waterproof  disc  lay,  occupied  no  less 


22a  .  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


than  three  feet  in  depth,  and  spread  over  a  surface  of  not  less 
tlmn  fifty-four  square  feet.  Besides,  the  cistern  did  not  contain 
cue  fifth  part  of  it ;  they  must  therefore  give  up  this  efficient 
means  of  deadening  the  shock  of  arrival.  Happily,  Barhicane, 
not  content  with  employing  water,  had  furnished  the  movable 
disc  with  strong  spring  plugs,  destined  to  lessen  the  shock  against 
the  base  after  the  breaking  of  the  horizontal  partitions.  These 
plugs  still  existed  ;  they  had  only  to  readjust  them  and  replace 
the  movable  disc ;  every  piece,  easy  to  handle,  as  their  weight 
was  now  scarcely  felt,  was  quickly  mounted. 

The  different  pieces  were  fitted  without  trouble,  it  being  only  a 
matter  of  bolts  and  screAvs  ;  tools  were  not  wanting,  and  soon  the 
reinstated  disc  lay  on  its  steel  plugs,  like  a  table  on  its  legs.  One 
inconvenience  resulted  from  the  replacing  of  the  disc,  the  lower 
window  was  blocked  up ;  thus  it  was  impossible  for  the  travellers 
to  observe  the  moon  from  that  opening  while  they  were  being 
precipitated  perpendicularly  upon  her ;  but  they  were  obliged  to 
give  it  up ;  even  by  the  side  openings  they  could  still  see  vast 
lunar  regions,  as  an  aeronaut  sees  the  earth  from  his  car. 

This  replacing  of  the  di<:o  was  at  least  an  hour's  work.  It  was 
past  twelve  when  all  preparations  were  finished.  Barbicane  took 
fresh  observations  on  the  inclination  of  the  projectile,  but  to  his 
annoyance  it  had  not  turned  over  sufficiently  for  its  fall ;  it 
seemed  to  take  a  curve  parallel  to  the  lunar  disc.  The  orb  of 
night  shone  splendidly  into  space,  whilst,  opposite,  the  orb  of  day 
blazed  with  fire. 

Their  situation  began  to  make  them  uneasy. 

"Arc  wc  reaching  our  destination  ?"  said  Nicholl. 

"  Let  us  act  as  if  we  were  about  reaching  it,"  replied  Bar- 
bicane. 

"  You  are  sceptical,"  retorted  Michel  Ardan.  "  We  shall 
arrive,  and  that,  too,  quicker  than  we  like." 

This  answer  brought  Barbicane  back  to  his  preparations,  and 
he  occupied  himself  with  placing  the  contrivances  intended  to 


THE   CONSEQUENCES   OF  A    DEVIATION.  223 


break  their  descent.  We  may  remember  the  scene  of  the  meeting 
held  at  Tampa  Town,  in  Florida,  when  Cajitain  Nicholl  came 
forward  as  Barbicane's  enemy  and  Michel  Ardan's  adversary.  To 
Captain  NichoU's  maintaining  that  the  projectile  would  smash  like 
glass,  Michel  replied  that  he  would  break  their  fall  by  means  of 
rockets  properly  placed. 

Thus,  powerful  fireworks,  taking  their  starting-point  from  the 
base  and  bursting  outside,  could,  by  producing  a  recoil,  check  to 
a  certain  degree  the  projectile's  speed.  These  rockets  were  to 
burn  in  space,  it  is  true  ;  but  oxygen  would  not  fail  them,  for  they 
could  supply  themselves  with  it,  like  the  lunar  volcanoes,  the 
burning  of  which  has  never  yet  been  stopped  by  the  want  of 
atmosphere  round  the  moon. 

Barbicane  had  accordingly  supplied  himself  with  these  fire- 
works, enclosed  in  little  steel  guns,  which  could  be  screwed  on  to 
the  base  of  the  projectile.  Inside,  these  guns  were  flush  with  the 
bottom  ;  outside,  they  protruded  about  eighteen  inches.  There 
were  twenty  of  them.  An  opening  left  in  the  disc  allowed  them 
to  light  the  match  with  which  each  was  provided.  All  the  efiect 
was  felt  outside.  The  burning  mixture  had  been  already  rammed 
into  each  gun.  They  had,  then,  nothing  to  do  but  to  raise  the 
metallic  buffers  fixed  in  the  base,  and  replace  them  by  the  guns, 
which  fitted  closely  in  their  places. 

This  new  woi'k  was  finished  about  three  o'clock,  and  after 
taking  all  these  precautions  there  remained  but  to  wait.  But  the 
projectile  was  perceptibly  nearing  the  moon,  and  evidently  suc- 
cumbed to  her  influence  to  a  certain  degree  ;  though  its  own 
velocity  also  drew  it  in  an  oblique  direction.  From  these  con- 
flicting influences  resulted  a  line  which  might  become  a  tangent. 
But  it  was  certain  that  the  projectile  would  not  fall  directly  ou 
the  moon  ;  for  its  lower  part,  by  reason  of  its  weight,  ought  to  be 
turned  towards  her. 

Barbicane's  uneasiness  increased  as  he  saw  his  projectile  resist 
the  influence  of  gravitation.     The  Unknown  was  opening  befor* 


224  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


him,  the  Unknowu  in  interplanetary  space.  The  man  of  science 
thought  he  had  foreseen  the  only  three  hypotheses  possible— the 
return  to  the  earth,  the  return  to  the  moon,  or  stagnation  on  the 
neutral  line  ;  and  here  a  fourth  hypothesis,  big  with  all  the 
terrors  of  the  Infinite,  sui-ged  up  inopportunely.  To  face  it  with- 
out flinching,  one  must  be  a  resolute  savant  like  Barbicane,  a 
phlegmatic  being  like  NichoU,  or  an  audacious  adventurer  like 
Michel  Ardan. 

Conversation  was  started  upon  this  subject.  Other  men  would 
have  considered  the  question  from  a  practical  point  of  view  ;  they 
would  have  asked  themselves  whither  their  projectile  carriage  was 
carrying  them.  Not  so  with  these  ;  they  sought  for  the  cause 
which  produced  this  effect. 

"  So  we  have  become  diverted  from  our  route,"  said  Michel ; 
"but  why?" 

"  I  very  much  fear,"  answered  Nicholl,  **  that,  in  spite  of  all 
precautions  taken,  the  Columbiad  was  not  fairly  pointed.  An 
error,  however  small,  would  be  enough  to  throw  us  out  of  the 
moon's  attraction." 

"  Then  they  must  have  aimed  badly  ?"  asked  Michel. 
"  I  do  not  think  so,"  replied  Barbicane.  "The  perpendicularity 
of  the  gun  was  exact,  its  direction  to  the  zenith  of  the  spot  incon- 
testible  ;  and  the  moon  passing  to  the  zenith  of  the  spot,  we 
ought  to  reach  it  at  the  full.  There  is  another  reason,  but  it 
escapes  me." 

"Are  we  not  arriving  too  late  ?"  asked  Nicholl. 
"  Too  late  ?  "  said  Barbicane. 

"  Yes,"  continued  Nicholl.  "  The  Cambridge  Observatory's 
note  says  that  the  transit  ought  to  be  accomplished  in  ninety- 
seven  hours  thirteen  minutes  and  twenty  seconds  ;  which  means 
to  say,  that  sooner  the  moon  will  not  be  at  the  point  indicated, 
and  that  later  it  will  have  passed  it." 

"True,"  replied  Barbicane.  "But  we  started  the  1st  of 
December,  at  thirleeu  minutes  and  twenty-five  seconds  to  eleven 


THE   CONSEQUENCES   OF  A    DEVIATION.  22$ 

at  night  ;  and  we  ought  to  arrive  on  the  5th  at  midnight,  at  tlie 
exact  moment  when  the  moon  would  bo  full  ;  and  we  are  now  at 
the  5th  of  December.  It  is  now  half  past  three  in  the  evening  ; 
half  past  eight  ought  to  see  us  at  the  end  of  our  journey.  \\  hy 
do  we  not  arrive  ?" 

"Might  it  not  be  an  excess  of  speed?"  answered  Nicholl  ; 
**  for  we  know  now  that  its  initial  velocity  was  greater  than  they 
supposed." 

"  No  !  a  hundred  times,  No  ! "  replied  Barbicane.  *'  An  excess 
of  speed,  if  the  direction  of  the  projectile  had  been  right,  Avould 
not  have  prevented  us  reaching  the  moon.  No,  thex'e  has  been  a 
deviation.     We  have  been  turned  out  of  our  course." 

"  By  whom  ?  by  what  ?  "  asked  Nicholl. 

"  I  cannot  say,"  replied  Barbicane. 

"  Very  well,  then,  Barbicane,"  said  Michel,  "  do  you  wish  to 
know  my  opinion  on  the  subject  of  finding  out  this  deviation  ?" 

"  Speak." 

"  I  would  not  give  half  a  dollar  to  know  it.  That  we  have 
deviated  is  a  fact.  Where  we  ai'e  going  to  mattei's  little  ;  we 
shall  soon  see.  Since  we  are  being  borne  along  in  space  we  shall 
end  by  falling  into  some  centre  of  attraction  or  other." 

Michel  Ardan's  indifference  did  not  content  Barbicane.  Not 
that  he  was  uneasy  about  the  future,  but  he  wanted  to  know  at 
any  cost  why  his  projectile  had  deviated. 

But  the  projectile  continued  its  course  sideways  to  the  moon, 
and  wilh  it  the  mass  of  things  thrown  out.  Barbicane  could  even 
prove,  by  the  elevations  which  served  as  landmarks  upon  the 
moon,  which  was  only  2000  leagues  distant,  that  its  speed  was 
becoming  uniform — fresh  proof  that  there  was  no  fall.  Its  impul- 
sive force  still  prevailed  over  the  lunar  attraction,  but  the  projec- 
tile's course  was  certainly  bringing  it  nearer  to  the  moon,  and 
they  might  hope  that  at  a  nearer  point  the  weight,  predominating, 
would  cause  a  decided  fall. 

The  three  friends,  having  nothing  better  to  do,  continued  theii* 

Q 


2  26  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


observations  ;  but  tlicy  could  not  yet  determine  the  topographical 
position  of  the  satellite  ;  every  relief  was  levelled  under  the 
reflection  of  the  solar  rays. 

They  watched  thus  through  the  side  windows  until  eight 
o'clock  at  night.  The  moon  had  then  grown  so  large  in  their 
eyes  that  it  filled  half  of  the  firmament.  The  sun  on  one  side,  and 
the  orb  of  night  on  the  other,  flooded  the  projectile  with  light. 

At  that  moment,  Barbicane  thought  he  could  estimate  the  dis- 
tance which  separated  them  from  their  aim  at  no  more  than  700 
leagues.  The  speed  of  the  projectile  seemed  to  him  to  be  more 
than  200  yards,  or  about  170  leagues  a  second.  Under  the  cen- 
tripetal force,  the  base  of  the  projectile  tended  towards  the  moon ; 
but  the  centrifugal  still  prevailed ;  and  it  was  probable  that  its 
rectilineal  course  would  be  changed  to  a  curve  of  some  sort,  the 
nature  of  which  they  could  not  at  present  determine. 

Barbicane  was  still  seeking  the  solution  of  his  insoluble 
problem.  Hours  passed  without  any  result.  The  projectile  was 
evidently  nearing  the  moon,  but  it  was  also  evident  that  it  would 
never  reach  her.  As  to  the  nearest  distance  at  which  it  would 
pass  her,  that  must  be  the  result  of  the  two  forces,  attraction  and 
repulsion,  affecting  its  motion. 

"  I  ask  but  one  thing,"  said  Michel  ;  "  that  we  may  pass  near 
enough  to  penetrate  her  secrets." 

"  Cursed  be  the  thing  that  has  caused  our  projectile  to  deviate 
from  its  course,"  cried  Nicholl. 

And,  as  if  a  light  had  suddenly  broken  in  upon  his  mind,  Bar- 
bicane answered,  "  Then  cursed  be  the  meteor  which  crossed  our 
path," 

"  What  ?"  said  Michel  Ardan. 
•'  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  exclaimed  Nicholl. 
"  I  mean,"  said  Barbicane  in  a  decided  tone,  "I  mean  that  our 
deviation  is  owing  solely  to  our  meeting  with  this  erring  body." 
"  But  it  did  not  even  brush  us  as  it  passed,"  said  Michel. 
"  What  does  that  matter  ?     Its  mass,  compared  to  that  of  our 


THE   CONSEQUENCES   OF  A    DEVIATION.  227 


projectile,  was  enormous,  and  its  attraction  was  enough  to  influence 


our  course." 


"So  little?"  cried  Nicholl. 

"  Yes,  Nicholl ;  but  however  little  it  might  be,"  replied  Bar- 
bicane,  "  in  a  distance  of  84,000  leagues,  it  wanted  no  more  to 
make  us  miss  the  moon." 


Q2 


2  28  ROUND    THE   MOON, 


I 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    OBSERVERS    OP    THE    MOON. 

Baudicane  had  evidently  hit  iijion  the  only  plausible  reason  of 
tliis  deviation.  However  slight  it  might  have  been,  it  had  sufficed 
to  modify  the  course  of  the  projectile.  It  was  a  fatality.  The 
bold  attempt  had  miscarried  by  a  fortuitous  circumstance;  and 
unless  by  some  exceptional  event,  they  could  now  never  reach  the 
moon's  disc. 

Would  they  pass  near  enough  to  be  able  to  solve  certain  phy-, 
sical  and  geological  questions  until  then  insoluble  ?  This  waS' 
the  question,  and  the  only  one,  which  occupied  the  minds  of  these 
bold  travellers.  As  to  the  fate  in  store  for  themselves,  they  did 
not  even  dream  of  it. 

But  what  would  become  of  them  amid  these  infinite  solitudes, 
tlieso  who  would  soon  want  air  ?  A  few  more  days,  and  they 
would  full  stifled  in  this  wandering  projectile.  But  some  days 
to  these  intrepid  fellows  was  a  century;  and  they  devoted  all 
their  time  to  observe  that  moon  which  they  no  longer  hoped  to 
reach. 

The  distance  which  then  separated  the  projectile  from  the 
satellite  was  estimated  at  about  200  leagues.  Under  these  con- 
.litions,  as  regards  the  visibility  of  the  details  of  the  disc,  the 
travellers  were  farther  from  the  moon  than  are  the  inhabitants  of 
the  earth  with  their  powerful  telescopes. 

Indeed,  we  know  that  the  instrumeut  mounted  by  Lord  Rosse 
at  Par.sonstown,  which  magnifies  6500  times,  brings  the  moon  to 
within  an  ai)parcnt  distance  of  sixteen  leagues.     And  more  than 


THE  TELESCOPE  AT  PARSONTOWN. 


[p.  228.] 


THE   OBSERVERS   OF   THE   MOON.  229 

that,  Avilh  the  powerful  one  set  up  at  Long's  Peak,  the  orb  of 
night,  maguified  48,000  times,  is  brought  to  within  less  than  two 
leagues,  and  objects  having  a  diameter  of  thirty  feet  are  seen 
very  distinctly.  So  that,  at  this  distance,  the  topographical 
details  of  the  moon,  observed  without  glasses,  could  not  be 
determined  with  precision.  The  eye  caught  the  vast  outline  of 
those  immense  depressions  inappropriately  called  "  seas,"  but  they 
could  not  recognize  their  nature.  The  prominence  of  the  moun- 
tains disappeared  under  the  splendid  irradiation  produced  by  the 
reflection  of  the  solar  rays.  The  eye,  dazzled  as  if  it  was  leaining 
over  a  bath  of  molten  silver,  turned  from  it  involuntarily  ;  but 
the  oblong  form  of  the  orb  was  quite  clear.  It  appeared  like  a 
gigantic  egg,  with  the  small  end  turned  towards  the  earth. 
Indeed  the  moon,  liquid  and  pliable  in  the  first  days  of  its  for- 
mation, was  originally  a  perfect  sphere  ;  but,  being  soon  drawn, 
within  the  attraction  of  the  earth,  it  became  elongated  under  the 
influence  of  gravitation.  In  becoming  a  satellite,  she  lost  her 
native  purity  of  form  ;  her  centi-e  of  gravity  was  in  advance  of 
the  centre  of  her  figure  ;  and  from  this  fact  some  savants 
draw  the  conclusion  that  the  air  and  water  had  taken  refuge  on' 
the  opposite  surface  of  the  moon,  which  is  never  seen  from  the 
earth.  This  alteration  in  the  primitive  form  of  the  satellite  was 
only  perceptible  for  a  few  moments.  The  distance  of  the  pro- 
jectile from  the  moon  diminished  very  rapidly  under  its  speed, 
though  that  was  much  less  than  its  initial  velocity, — but  eight  or 
nine  times  greater  than  that  which  propels  our  express  trains. 
The  oblique  course  of  the  projectile,  from  its  very  obliquity,  gave 
Michel  Ardan  some  hopes  of  striking  the  lunar  disc  at  some  point 
or  other.  He  could  not  think  that  tbey  would  never  reach  it. 
No!  he  could  not  believe  it;  and  this  opinion  he  often  repeated. 
But  Barbicane,  who  was  a  better  judge,  always  answered  him 
with  merciless  logic. 

"  No,  Michel,  no  !     "We  can  only  reach  the  moon  by  a  fall,  and 
we  are  not  falling.     The  centx-ipetal  force  keeps  us  under  the 


23° 


ROUND    THE   MOON. 


moon's  influence,   but  the  centrifugal  force  draws  us  irresistibly 
away  from  it." 

This  was  said  in  a  tone  which  quenched  Michel  Ardan's  last 
hope. 

The  portion  of  the  moon  which  the  projectile  was  nearing  was 
the  northern  hemisphere,  that  which  the  Selenographic  maps  place 
below  ;  for  these  maps  are  generally  drawn  after  the  outline  given 
by  the  glasses,  and  we  know  that  they  reverse  the  objects.  Such 
was  the  Maj)pa  Selenograpliica  of  Bccer  and  Moedler  which 
Barbicane  consulted.  This  northern  hemisphere  presented  vast 
plains,  dotted  with  isolated  mountains. 

At  midnight  the  moon  was  full.  At  that  precise  moment  the 
traveliors  sliould  have  alighted  upon  it,  if  the  mischievous  meteor 
had  not  diverted  their  course.  The  orb  was  exactly  in  the 
condition  deteraiined  by  the  Cambridge  Observatory.  It  was 
mathematically  at  its  perigee,  and  at  the  zenith  of  the  twenty- 
eighth  parallel.  An  observer  placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  enormous 
Columbiad,  pointed  perpendicularly  to  the  horizon,  would  have 
framed  the  moon  in  the  mouth  of  the  gun.  A  straight  line  drawn 
through  the  axis  of  the  piece  would  have  passed  through  the 
centre  of  the  orb  of  night.  It  is  needless  to  say,  that  during  the 
night  of  the  5th — 6th  of  December,  the  travellers  took  not  an 
instant's  rest.  Could  they  close  their  eyes  when  so  near  this  new 
world  ?  No  !  All  their  feelings  were  concentrated  in  one  single 
thought  : — See  !  Representatives  of  the  earth,  of  humanity,  past 
and  present,  all  centred  in  them  !  It  is  through  their  eyes  that 
the  human  race  look  at  these  lunar  regions,  and  penetrate  the 
secrets  of  tlieir  satellite  !  A  strange  emotion  filled  their  hearts  as 
they  went  from  one  window  to  the  other. 

Their  observations,  reproduced  by  Barbicane,  were  rigidly 
determined.  To  take  them,  they  had  glasses  ;  to  correct  them, 
maps. 

As  regards  the  optical  instruments  at  their  disposal,  they  had 
excellent  marine  glasses  specially  constructed  for  this  journey. 


THE  OBSERVERS   OF   THE  MOON.  23 1 

They  possessed  magnifying  powers  of  100.  They  would  thus 
have  brought  the  moon  to  within  a  distance  (apparent)  of  less 
than  2000  leagues  from  the  earth.  But  then,  at  a  distance  which 
for  three  hours  in  the  morning  did  not  exceed  sixty-five  miles, 
and  in  a  medium  free  from  all  atmospheric  disturbances,  these 
instruments  could  reduce  the  lunar  surface  to  with'"  'ess  than 
1500  yards! 


J32 


ROUND    THE   MOON. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


FANCY    AND    REALITY. 


"  Have  you  ever  seen  the  raoou  ?"  asked  a  professor,  ironically, 
of  one  of  his  pupils. 

"  No,  sir  !"  replied  the  pupil,  still  more  ironically,  "but  1  must 
pay  I  have  hcaid'it  spoken  of." 

In  one  sense,  the  pupil's  witty  answer  might  be  given  by  a  large 
niajoi  ity  of  sublunary  beings.  How  many  people  have  heard  speak 
of  the  moon,  who  have  never  seen  it — at  least  through  a  glass 
or  a  telescope  !  How  many  have  never  examined  the  map  of  their 
satellite  ! 

In  looking  at  a  selenographic  map,  one  peculiarity  strikes  us. 
Contrary  to  the  arrangement  followed  for  that  of  the  Earth 
and  -Mars,  the  continents  occupy  more  particularly  the  southern 
hemisphere  of  the  lunar  globe.  These  continents  do  not  show 
such  decided,  clear,  and  regular  boundary  lines  as  South  America, 
Africa,  and  the  Indian  peninsula.  Their  angular,  capricious,  and 
deeply  indented  coasts,  are  rich  in  gulfs  and  peninsulas.  They 
remind  one  of  the  confusion  in  the  islands  of  the  Sound,  where 
the  land  is  excessively  indented.  If  navigation  ever  existed  on 
the  surface  of  the  moon,  it  must  have  been  wonderfully  difficult 
and  dangerous  ;  and  we  may  well  pity  the  Selenite  sailors  and 
hydrographers  ;  the  former,  when  they  came  upon  these  perilous 
coasts,  the  latter,  when  they  took  the  soundings  of  its  stormy 
banks. 

We  may  also  notice  that,  on  the  lunar  sphere,  the  south  pole  is 
much  more  continental  than  the  north  pole.      On  the  latter,  there 


HOW  MANY  PEOPLE  HAVE  HEARD  SPEAK  OF  THE  MOOIT, 

[p.  232.] 


t 


FANCY  AND   REALITY.  233 


is  but  one  slight  strip  of  land  separated  from  other  continents  by 
vast  seas.  Towards  the  south,  continents  clothe  almost  the 
whole  of  the  hemisphere.  It  is  even  possible  that  the  Selenites 
bave  already  planted  the  flag  on  one  of  their  poles,  whilst 
Franklin,  Ross,  Kane,  Dumont  d'Urville,  and  Lambert,  have 
never  yet  been  able  to  attain  that  imknown  point  of  the  terrestrial 
globe. 

As  to  islands,  they  are  numerous  on  the  surface  of  the  moon. 
Nearly  all  oblong  or  circular,  and  as  if  traced  with  the  compass, 
they  seem  to  form  one  vast  Archipelago,  equal  to  that  charming 
group  lying  between  Greece  and  Asia  Minor,  and  which  mytho- 
logy in  ancient  times  adorned  Avith  most  graceful  legends. 
Involuntarily  the  names  of  Naxos,  Tenedos,  and  Carpathos, 
rise  before  the  mind,  and  we  seek  vainly  for  Ulysses'  vessel 
or  the  "clipper"  of  the  Argonauts.  So  at  least  it  was  in 
Michel  Ardan's  eyes.  To  him  it  was  a  Grecian  Archipelago 
that  he  saw  on  the  map.  To  the  eyes  of  his  matter-of-fact  com- 
panions, the  aspect  of  these  coasts  recalled  rather  tbe  parcelled- 
out  land  of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova  Scotia ;  and  where 
the  Frenchman  discovered  traces  of  the  hei'oes  of  fable,  these 
Americans  were  marking  the  most  favourable  points  for  the 
establishment  of  stores  in  the  interests  of  lunar  commerce  and 

industry. 

After  wandering  over  these  vast  continents,  the  eye  is  attracted 
by  still  greater  seas.  Not  only  their  formation,  but  their  situation 
and  aspect  remind  one  of  the  terrestrial  oceans ;  but  again,  as  on 
earth,  these  seas  occupy  the  greater  portion  of  the  globe.  But  in 
point  of  fact,  these  are  not  liquid  spaces,  but  plains,  the  nature  of 
which  the  travellers  hoped  soon  to  determine.  Astronomers,  we 
must  allow,  have  graced  these  pretended  seas  with  at  least  odd 
names,  which  science  has  respected  up  to  the  present  time. 
Michel  Ardan  was  right  when  he  compared  this  map  to  a 
"  Tendre  card,"  got  up  by  a  Scudary  or  a  Cyrano  de  Bergerac. 
"  Only,"  said  he,  "  it  is  no  longer  the  sentimental  card  of  the 


J34  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


sevcnteccnth  century,  it  is  the  card  of  life,  very  neatly  divided 
into  two  parts,  one  feminine,  the  other  masculine;  the  right  hemi- 
sphere for  woman,  the  left  for  man." 

In  speaking  thus,  Michel  made  his  prosaic  companions  shrug 
their  slioulders.  Barhicane  and  NichoU  looked  upon  the  lunar 
map  from  a  very  different  point  of  view  to  that  of  their  fantastic 
friend.  Nevertheless,  their  fantastic  friend  was  a  little  in  the 
right.     Judge  for  yourselves. 

In  the  left  hemisphere  stretches  the  "  Sea  of  Clouds,"  where 
human  reason  is  so  often  shipwrecked.  Not  far  off  lies  the  "  Sea 
of  Rains,"  fed  by  all  the  fever  of  existence.  Near  this  is  the 
"  Sea  of  Storms,"  where  man  is  ever  fighting  against  his  passions, 
which  too  often  gain  the  victory.  Then,  worn  out  by  deceit, 
treasons,  infidelity,  and  the  whole  body  of  terrestrial  misery, 
what  does  he  find  at  the  end  of  his  career  ?  that  vast  "  Sea  of 
Humours,"  barely  softened  by  some  drops  of  the  waters  from  the 
"  Gulf  of  Dew  !"  Clouds,  rain,  storms,  and  humours, — does  the  life 
of  man  contain  aught  but  these  ?  and  is  it  not  summed  up  in  these 
four  words  ? 

The  right  hemisphere,  "  dedicated  to  the  ladies,"  encloses 
smaller  seas,  whose  significant  names  contain  every  incident  of  a 
feminine  existence.  There  is  the  "  Sea  of  Serenity,"  over  which 
the  young  girl  bends;  "  The  Lake  of  Dreams,"  reflecting  a  joyous 
future;  "the  Sea  of  Nectar,"  with  its  waves  of  tenderness  and 
breezes  of  love;  "  The  Sea  of  Fruitfulness;"  "The  Sea  of  Crises;" 
then  the  "  Sea  of  Vapours,"  whose  dimensions  are  perhaps  a  little 
too  confined  ;  and  lastly,  that  vast  "  Sea  of  Tranquillity,"  in  which 
every  false  passion,  every  useless  dream,  every  unsatisfied  desire 
is  at  length  absorbed,  and  whose  waves  emerge  peaceably  into  the 
"  Lake  of  Death  !" 

What  a  strange  succession  of  names  !  What  a  singular  division 
of  the  moon's  two  hemispheres,  joined  to  one  another  hke  man 
and  woman,  and  forming  that  sphere  of  life  carried  into  space ! 
And  was  not  the  fantastic  Michel  right  in  thus  interpreting  the 


FjyCV  AND   REALITY.  235 

fancies  of  the  ancient  astronomers  ?  But  -whilst  his  imagination 
thus  roved  over  "  the  seas,"  his  grave  companions  were  con- 
sidering things  more  geographically.  They  Avere  learning 
this  new  world  by  heart.  They  were  measuring  angles  and 
diameters. 


236  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

OROGRArniC    DETAILS. 

The  course  talvcn  by  the  projectile,  as  we  have  before  remai-ked, 
was  bearing  it  towards  the  moon's  northern  hemisphere.  The 
travellers  were  far  from  the  central  point  which  they  would  have 
struck,  had  their  course  not  been  subject  to  an  irremediable 
deviation.  It  was  past  midnight ;  and  Barbicane  then  estimated 
the  distance  at  750  miles,  which  was  a  little  gi'eater  than  the 
length  of  the  lunar  radius,  and  Avhich  would  diminish  as  it 
advanced  nearer  to  the  North  Pole.  The  projectile  was  then 
not  at  the  altitude  of  the  equator ;  but  across  the  tenth  parallel, 
and  from  that  latitude,  carefully  taken  on  the  map  to  the  pole, 
Barbicane  and  his  two  companions  were  able  to  observe  the  moon 
under  the  most  favourable  conditions.  Indeed,  by  means  of 
glasses,  the  above  named  distance  Avas  reduced  to  little  more  than 
fourteen  miles.  The  telescope  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  brought 
the  moon  much  nearer ;  but  the  terrestrial  atmosphere  singularly 
lessened  its  power.  Thus  Barbicane,  posted  in  his  projectile, 
with  the  glasses  to  his  eyes,  could  seize  upon  details  which  were 
almost  imperceptible  to  earthly  observers. 

"  My  friends,"  said  the  president,  in  a  serious  voice,  "  I  do  not 
know  whither  we  are  going  ;  I  do  not  know  if  we  shall  ever  see 
the  terrestrial  globe  again.  Nevertheless,  let  us  proceed  as  if  our 
work  would  one  day  be  useful  to  our  fellow-men.  Let  us  keep 
our  minds  free  from  every  other  considei-ation.  We  are  astro- 
nomers ;  and  this  projectile  is  a  room  in  the  Cambridge  University, 
carried  into  s])acc.     Let  us  make  our  observations  !" 


OROGRAPHIC  DETAILS.  237 


This  said,  work  was  begun  with  great  exactness ;  and  they 
faithfully  reproduced  the  ditFerent  aspects  of  the  moon,  at  the 
different  distances  which  the  projectile  reached. 

At  the  time  that  the  projectile  was  as  high  as  the  tenth  parallel, 
N.  latitude,   it  seemed  rigidly   to  follow   the    twentieth  degree, 
E.  loncritude.     We  must  here  make  one  important  remark  with 
regard  to  the  map  by  which  they  were  taking  observations.     In 
the  selenographical  maps  where,  on  account  of  the  reversing  of 
the  objects  by  the  glasses,  the  south  is  above  and  the  north  below, 
it  would  seem  natural  that,  on  account  of  that  inversion,  the  east 
should  be  to  the  left  hand,  and  the  west  to  the  right.     But  it  is 
not  so.     If  the  map  were  turned  upside  down,  showing  the  moon 
as  we  see  her,  the  east  would  be  to  the  left,  and  the  west  to  the 
right,  contrary  to  that  which  exists  on  terrestrial  maps.      The 
following   is    the    reason   of  this   anomaly.      Observers   in  the 
northern  hemisphere  (say  in  Europe)  see  the  moon  in  the  south, — 
according  to  them.    When  they  take  observations,  they  turn  their 
backs  to  the  north,  the  reverse  position  to  that  which  they  occupy 
when  they  study  a  terrestrial  map.     As  they  turn  their  backs  to 
the  north,  the  east  is  on  their  left,  and  the  west  to  their  right. 
To  observers  in  the  southern  hemisphere  (Patagonia  for  example), 
the  moon's  west  would  be  quite  to  their  left,  and  the  east  to  their 
rit^ht.  as  the  south  is  behind  them.     Such  is   the  reason  of  the 
apparent  reversing  of  these  two  cardinal  points,  and  we  must  bear 
it  in  mind  in  order  to  be  able  to  follow  President  Barbicane's 
observations. 

With  the  help  of  Boeer  and  Moedler's  Mappa  Selenographica,  the 
travellers  were  able  at  once  to  recognijse  that  portion  of  the  disc 
enclosed  within  the  field  of  their  glasses. 

"  What  are  we  looking  at,  at  this  moment  ?"  asked  Michel. 

"  At  the  northern  part  of  the  '  Sea  of  Clouds,' "  answered  Bar- 

bicane.     "  We  are  too  far  off  to  recognize  its  nature.     Are  these 

plains  composed  of  arid  sand,  as  the  first  astronomer  maintained  ? 

Or  are  they  nothing  but  immense  forests,  according  to  M.  Warreu 


2-}8  ROUND    THE  MOGN. 


do  la  Riio's  opiaiou,  who  gives  the  moon  an  atmosphere,  though 
a  very  low  and  a  very  dense  one  ?  That  wo  shall  know  by  and 
Ity.  We  must  affirm  nothing  until  we  are  in  a  position  to 
(to  so. 

'J'his  "  Sea  of  Clouds  "  is  rather  doubtfully  marked  out  upon 
the  maps.  It  is  supposed  that  these  vast  plains  are  strewn  with 
blocks  of  lava  from  the  neighbouring  volcanoes  on  its  right, 
Ptolemy,  Purbach,  Arzachel.  But  the  projectile  was  advancing, 
and  sensibly  nearing  it.  Soon  there  appeared  the  heights  which 
bound  this  sea  at  this  northern  limit.  Before  them  rose  a  moun- 
tain radiant  with  beauty,  the  top  of  which  seemed  lost  in  an 
eruption  of  solar  rays. 

"  That  is—  ?"  asked  Michel. 

"  Copernicus,"  replied  Barbicane. 

"  Let  us  see  Copernicus." 

This  mount  situated  in  9°  north  latitude  and  20°  east  longitude, 
rose  to  a  height  of  10,600  feet  abov-e  the  surface  of  the  moon.  It  is 
quite  visible  from  the  earth ;  and  astronomers  can  study  it  with 
e^sc,  particularly  during  the  phase  between  the  last  quarter  and 
the  new  moon,  because  then  the  shadows  are  thrown  lengthways 
from  east  to  west,  allowing  them  to  measure  the  heights. 

This  Copernicus  forms  the  most  important  of  the  radiating 
eystcm,  situated  in  the  southern  hemisphere,  according  to  Tycho 
lirahe.  It  rises  isolated  like  a  gigantic  lighthouse  on  that  portion 
of  the  Sea  of  Clouds,  which  is  bounded  by  the  "  Sea  of  Tem- 
pests," thus  lighting  by  its  splendid  rays  two  oceans  at  a  time. 
It  was  a  sight  without  an  equal,  those  long  luminous  trains,  so 
dazzling  in  the  full  moon,  and  which,  passing  the  boundary  chain 
on  the  north,  extends  to  the  "  Sea  of  Rains."  At  one  o'clock  of 
the  teiTcstrial  morning,  the  projectile,  like  a  balloon  borne  into 
space,  overlooked  the  top  of  this  superb  mountain.  Barbicane 
could  recognize  perfectly  its  chief  features.  Copernicus  is  com- 
prised in  the  series  of  ringed  mountains  of  the  first  order,  in  the 
division  of  great  circles.     Like  Kepler  and  Aristarchus,  which 


OROGRArillC   DETAILS. 


239 


overlook  the  Ocean  of  Tempests,  sometimes  it  appeared  like  a 
brilliant  point  through  the  cloudy  light,  and  was  taken  for  a 
volcano  in  activity.  But  it  is  only  an  extinct  one, — like  all  on  that 
side  of  the  moon.  Its  circumference  showed  a  diameter  of  about 
twenty-two  leagues.  The  glasses  discovered  traces  of  stratifica- 
tion produced  by  successive  eruptions,  and  the  neighbourhood 
was  strewn  with  volcanic  remains  which  still  choked  some  of  the 
craters. 

"  There  exist,"  said  Barbicane,  "  several  kinds  of  circles  on  the 
surface  of  the  moon,  and  it  is  easy  to  see  that  Copernicus  belongs 
to  the  radiating  class.  If  we  were  nearer,  we  should  see  the 
cones  bristling  on  the  inside,  which  in  former  times  were  so  many 
fiery  mouths.  A  curious  arrangement,  and  one  w.ithout  an 
exception  on  the  lunar  disc,  is  that  the  interior  surface  of  these 
circles  is  the  reverse  of  the  exterior,  and  contrary  to  the  form 
taken  by  terrestrial  craters.  It  follows,  then,  that  the  general 
curve  of  the  bottom  of  these  circles  gives  a  sphere  of  a  smaller 
diameter  than  that  of  the  moon." 

"  And  why  this  peculiar  disposition  ?  "  asked  Nicholl. 

"  We  do  not  know,"  replied  Barbicane. 

"  What  splendid  radiation!"  said  Michel.  "  One  could  hardly 
see  a  finer  spectacle,  I  think." 

"What  would  you  say,  then,"  replied  Barbicane,  "if  chance 
should  bear  us  towards  the  southern  hemisphere  ?" 

"  Well,  I  should  say  that  it  was  still  more  beautiful,"  retorted 
Michel  Ardan. 

At  this  moment  the  projectile  hung  perpendicularly  over  .the 
circle.  The  circumference  of  Copernicus  formed  almost  a  perfect 
circle,  and  its  steep  escarpments  were  clearly  defined.  They 
could  even  distinguish  a  second  ringed  enclosure.  Around  spread 
a  greyish  plain,  of  a  wild  aspect,  on  which  every  relief  was 
marked  in  yellow.  At  the  bottom  of  the  circle,  as  if  enclosed  in  a 
jewel  case,  sparkled  for  one  instant  two  or  three  erupMve  cones, 
like  enormous   dazzling  gems.      Towards  the  north   the   escarp- 


240 


ROUND    THE  MOON. 


mcnts  were  lowered  by  a  depression  which  would  probably  have 
given  access  to  the  interior  of  the  crater. 

In  passing  over  the  surrounding  plains,  Barbicane  noticed  a 
great  number  of  less  important  mountains ;  and  among  others  a 
little  ringed  one  called  Guy  Lussac,  the  breadth  of  which 
measured  twelve  miles. 

Towards  the  south,  the  plain  was  very  flat,  without  one  eleva- 
tion, without  one  projection.  Towards  the  north,  on  the  contrary, 
till  where  it  was  bounded  by  the  Sea  of  Storms  it  resembled  a 
liquid  surAice  agitated  by  a  storm,  of  which  the  hills  and  hollows 
formed  a  succession  of  waves  suddenly  congealed.  Over  the 
whole  of  this,  and  in  all  directions,  lay  the  luminous  lines,  all 
convci'ging  to  the  summit  of  Copernicus. 

The  travellers  discussed  the  origin  of  these  strange  rays ;  but 
they  could  not  determine  their  nature  any  more  than  terrestrial 
observers. 

"But  why,"  said  NichoU,  "should  not  these  rays  be  simply 
epurs   of  mountains  which  reflect  more  vividly  the  light  of  the 


sun  ?' 


"  No,"  replied  Barbicane  ;  "  if  it  was  so,  under  certain  con- 
ditions of  the  moon,  these  ridges  would  cast  shadows,  and  they 
do  not  cast  any." 

And  indeed,  these  rays  only  appeared  when  the  orb  of  day  was 
in  opposition  to  the  moon,  and  disappeared  as  soon  as  its  rays 
became  oblique. 

"  But  how  have  they  endeavoured  to  explain  these  lines  of 
light?"  asked  Michel;  "for  I  cannot  believe  that  savants  would 
ever  be  stranded  for  want  of  an  explanation." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Barbicane ;  "  Herschel  has  put  forward  an 
opinion,  but  he  did  not  venture  to  affirm  it." 

"Never  mind.     What  was  the  opinion?" 

"  He  thought  that  these  rays  might  be  streams  of  cooled  lava 
which  shone  when  the  sun  beat  straight  upon  them.  It  may  be 
80;  but  nothing  can  be  less  certain.     Besides,  if  we  pass  nearer 


"THIS  PLAIN  WOULD  THEN  BE  NOTHING  BUT  AX 
IMMENSE  CEMETERY." 


[p.  241.] 


OROGRAPHIC  DETAILS,  2\\ 

;o  Tycho,  we  shall  be  in  a  better  position  to  find  out  the  cause  of 
,his  radiation." 

"  Do  you  know,  my  friends,  what  that  plain,  seen  from  the 
leight  we  are  at,  resembles?"  said  Michel. 

"No,"  replied  Nicholi. 

"Very  well;  with  all  those  pieces  of  lava  lengthened  like 
•ockets,  it  resembles  an  immense  game  of  spelikans  thrown  pell- 
nell.     There  wants  but  the  hook  to  pull  them  out  one  by  one." 

"  Do  be  serious,"  said  Barbicane. 

"Well,  let  us  be  serious,"  replied  Michel,  quietly;  "and 
nstead  of  spelikans,  let  us  put  bones.  This  plain  would  then  be 
lothing  but  an  immense  cemetery,  ou  which  would  repose  the 
uortal  remains  of  thousands  of  extinct  generations.  Do  you 
:)i-efer  that  high-flown  comparison  ?  " 

"  One  is  as  good  as  the  other,"  retorted  Bai-bicane. 

"My  woi'd,  you  are  difficult  to  please,"  answered  Michel. 

"My  worthy  friend,"  continued  the  matter-of-fact  Barbicane, 
'  it  matters  but  little  what  it  resembles,  when  we  do  not  know 
kvhat  it  is" 

"  Well  answered,"  exclaimed  Michel.  "  That  will  teach  me  to 
'eason  with  savants." 

But  the  projectile  continued  to  advance  with  almost  uniform 
speed  ax'oiind  the  lunar  disc.  The  travellers,  we  may  easily  imagine, 
lid  not  dream  of  taking  a  moment's  rest.  Every  minute  changed 
;he  landscape  which  fled  from  beneath  their  gaze.  About  hali- 
3ast  one  o'clock  in  the  morning,  they  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  tops 
)f  another  mountain.  Barbicane,  consulting  his  map,  recognized 
Eratosthenes. 

It  was  a  ringed  mountain  9000  feet  high,  and  one  Oi'  thoso 
nrcles  so  numerous  on  this  satellite.  With  regard  lo  this,  Bar- 
bicane related  Kepler's  singular  opinion  on  the  foimation  o.' 
jircles.  According  to  that  celebrated  mathematician,  these  crater- 
ike  cavities  had  been  dug  by  the  hand  o*  man. 

"For  what  purpose?"  asked  NichoU. 

li 


242 


ROUNt>    THE   MOON. 


"  For  fi  very  natural  one,"  replied  Barbicaue.  "  The  Selenites 
nii"lit  have  timlfrtakcn  these  immense  works  and  dug  these 
enormous  holes  for  a  refuge  and  shield  from  the  solar  rays  which 
beat  upon  them  during  fil'tccn  consecutive  days.'' 

"  The  Selenites  are  not  fools,"  said  Michel. 

"  A  singular  idea,"  replied  Nicholl ;  "  but  it  is  probable  that 
Koplor  did  not  know  the  true  dimensions  of  these  circles,  for 
the  digging  of  them  would  have  been  the  work  of  giants,  quite 
impossible  for  the  Selenites." 

"  Why  ?  if  weight  on  the  moon's  surface  is  six  times  less 
than  on  the  carlh?"  said  Michel. 

"  IJut  if  the  Selenites  are  six  times  smaller?"  retorted  Nicholl. 

"And  if  there  are  no  Selenites?"  added  Barbicane. 

This  put  an  cud  to  the  discussion. 

Soon  Eratosthenes  disappeared  under  the  horizon  without  the 
projectile  being  sufficiently  near  to  allow  of  close  observation. 
This  mountain  separated  the  Apennines  from  the  Carpathians. 
In  the  lunar  orography  they  have  discerned  some  chains  of  moun- 
tains, which  are  chiefly  distributed  over  the  northern  hemisphere. 
Some,  however,  occupy  certain  portions  of  the  southern  hemi- 
sphere also. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  Barbicane  found  that 
they  were  above  the  twentieth  lunar  parallel.  Tlie  distance  of 
the  projectile  from  the  moon  was  not  more  than  600  miles. 
Barbicane,  now  perceiving  that  the  projectile  was  steadily  ap- 
proaching the  lunar  disc,  did  not  despair,  if  of  reaching  her,  at 
Icait  of  discovering  the  secrets  of  her  configuration. 


LUNAR    LANDSCAPES.  243 


CriAPTER  XIII. 

LUNAR     LANDSCAPES. 

At  half-past  two  in  the  morning,  the  projectile  was  over  the 
thirteenth  lunar  parallel  and  at  the  effective  distance  of  500  miles, 
reduced  by  the  glasses  to  five.  It  still  seemed  impossible,  however, 
that  it  could  ever  touch  any  part  of  the  disc.  Its  motive  speed, 
comparatively  so  moderate,  was  inexplicable  to  President  Bar- 
bicane.  At  that  distance  from  the  moon  it  must  have  been  con- 
siderable, to  enable  it  to  bear  up  against  her  attraction.  Here 
was  a  phenomenon  the  cause  of  which  escaped  them  again. 
Beside;:?,  time  failed  them  to  investigate  the  cause.  All  lunar 
relief  was  defiling  under  the  eyes  of  the  travellers,  and  they 
would  not  lose  a  single  detail. 

Under  the  glasses  the  disc  appeared  at  the  distance  of  five 
miles.  What  would  an  aeronaut,  borne  to  this  distance  from  the 
earth,  distinguish  on  its  surface  ?  We  cannot  say,  since  the 
greatest  ascension  has  not  been  more  than  25,000  feet. 

This,  however,  is  an  exact  description  of  what  Barbicane  and 
his  companions  saw  at  this  heiglit.  Large  patches  of  different 
colours  arppeared  on  the  disc.  Selenographers  are  not  agreed 
upon  the  nature  of  these  colours.  There  are  several,  and 
rather  vividly  marked.  Julius  Schmidt,  pretends  that,  if  the 
terrestrial  oceans  were  dried  up,  a  Selenite  observer  could  not 
distinguish  on  the  globe  a  greater  diversity  of  shades  between 
the  oceans  and  the  continental  plains  than  those  on  the  moon 
present  to  a  terrestrial  obsei'ver.  According  to  him,  the  colour 
common  to  the  vast  plains  known  by  the  name  of  "  seas  "  is  a 

B  2 


2^^  ROUND    THE   MOON: 


dark  grey  mixed  with  green  and  hrown.  Some  of  tlie  large 
cmtorri  present  the  same  appearance.  Barbicane  knew  this 
opiiiioa  of  the  German  selenographer,  an  opinion  shared  by 
B(Ecr  and  Mocdler.  Observation  has  proved  that  right  was  on 
their  side,  and  not  on  that  of  some  astronomers  Avho  admit  the 
existence  of  only  grey  on  the  moon's  surface.  In  some  parts 
green  was  very  distinct,  such  as  springs,  according  to  Julius 
Schmidt,  from  the  seas  of  Serenity  and  Humours.  Barbicane 
also  noticed  large  craters,  without  any  interior  cones,  which  shed 
n  bluish  tint  similar  to  the  reflection  of  a  sheet  of  steel  freshly 
polished.  These  colours  belonged  really  to  the  lunar  disc,  and 
did  not  result,  as  some  astronomers  say,  cither  from  the  imper- 
fection in  the  objective  of  the  glasses  or  from  the  interposition  of 
the  terrestrial  atmosphere. 

Not  a  doubt  existed  in  Barbicane's  mind  with  regard  to  it,  as 
ho  observed  it  through  space,  and  so  could  not  commit  any 
optical  error.  He  considered  the  establishment  of  this  fact  as  an 
acquisition  to  science.  Now,  were  these  shades  of  green,  belong- 
ing to  tropical  vegetation,  kept  up  by  a  low  dense  atmosphere? 
He  could  not  yet  say. 

Farther  on,  he  noticed  a  reddish  tint,  quite  defined.  The  same 
shade  had  before  been  observed  at  the  bottom  of  an  isolated 
enclosure,  known  by  the  name  of  Lichtenburg's  circle,  which  is 
situated  near  the  Hercynian  mountains,  on  the  borders  of  the 
moon  ;  but  they  could  not  tell  the  nature  of  it. 

Tiiey  were  not  more  fortunate  with  regard  to  another  peculiarity 
of  the  disc,  for  they  could  not  decide  upon  the  caus'e  of  it. 

Michel  Ardan  was  watching  near  the  president,  when  he 
noticed  long  white  lines,  vividly  lighted  up  by  the  direct  rays  of 
the  sun.  It  was  a  succession  of  luminous  furrows,  very  different 
from  the  radiation  of  Copernicus  not  long  before;  they  ran 
parallel  with  each  other. 

Michel,  with  his  usual  readiness,  hastened  to  exclaim, — 
"  Look  there!  cultivated  fields !  " 


"WHAT  GIANT  OXEN." 


rP.  245.] 


LUNAR    LANDSCAPES.  245 


"  Cultivated  fields  !  "  replied  Nicholl,  slirugging  his  shoulders. 

"  Ploughed,  at  all  events,"  retorted  Michel  Ardan  ;  "  but  what 
labourers  those  Selenites  must  be,  and  what  giant  oxeu  they  must 
harness  to  their  plough  to  cut  such  furrows  !  " 

"  They  are  not  furrows,"  said  Barbicane  ;  "  they  are  r\fts.^' 

"Rifts?  stuff!"  replied  Michel  mildly;  "but  what  do  you 
mean  by  '  rifts'  in  the  scientific  world  ?" 

Barbicane  immediately  enlightened  his  companion  as  to  what 
he  knew  about  lunar  rifts.  He  knew  that  they  were  a  kind  of 
furrow  found  on  every  part  of  the  disc  which  was  not  mountain- 
ous ;  that  these  furrows,  genex'ally  isolated,  measured  from  400 
to  500  leagues  in  length  ;  that  their  breadth  varied  from  1000 
to  1500  yards,  and  that  their  borders  were  strictly  parallel;  but 
he  knew  nothing  more  either  of  their  formation  or  their  nature. 

Barbicane,  through  his  glasses,  observed  these  rifts  with  great 
attention.  He  noticed  that  their  borders  were  formed  of  steep 
declivities ;  they  were  long  parallel  ramparts,  and  with  some 
small  amount  of  imagination  he  might  have  admitted  the 
existence  of  long  lines  of  fortifications,  raised  by  Selenite  engi- 
neers. Of  these  diiFerent  rifts  some  were  perfectly  straight,  as 
if  cut  by  a  line;  others  were'  slightly  curved,  though  still  keeping 
their  borders  parallel ;  some  crossed  each  other,  some  cut  through 
craters ;  here  they  wound  through  ordinary  cavities,  such  as  Posi- 
donius  or  Petavius ;  there  they  wound  through  the  seas,  such  as 
the  Sea  of  Serenity. 

These  natural  accidents  naturally  excited  the  imaginations  of 
these  terrestrial  astronomers.  The  first  observations  had  not 
discovered  these  rifts.  Neither  Hevelius,  Cassim,  La  Hire,  nor 
Herschel  seemed  to  have  known  them.  It  was  Schroeter  who  in 
1789  first  drew  attention  to  them.  Others  followed  who  studied 
them,  as  Pastorff,  Gruithuysen,  Boeer,  and  Moedler.  At  this 
time  their  number  amounts  to  seventy;  but,  if  they  have  been 
counted,  their  nature  has  not  yet  been  determined  ;  they  are 
certainly  not  fortifications,   any  more  than  they  ai'e  the  ancient 


2^6  ROUND    THE    MOON. 


hetls  of  (Iripd-np  rivers  ;  for,  on  one  side,  the  waters,  so  slight 
on  the  moon's  surface,  could  never  have  worn  such  drains  for 
themselves  ;  and,  on  the  other,  they  often  cross  craters  of  great 
elevation. 

"\Vo  must,  however,  allow  that  Michel  Ardan  had  "  an  idea," 
nnil  that,  witiiout  knowing  it,  he  coincided  iu  that  respect  with 
Julius  Schmidt. 

"  Wiiy,"  said  he,  "  should  not  these  unaccountable  appearances 
be  simply  plienomena  of  vegetation  ?" 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Bai  bicane  quickly. 

"  Do  not  excite  yourself,  my  wortliy  president,"  replied  Michel; 
"might  it  not  be  possible  that  the  dark  lines  forming  that  bastion 
were  rows  of  trees  regularly  placed  ?  " 

"  You  stick  to  your  vegetation,  then  ?"  said  Barbicane. 

"  I  like,"  retorted  Michel  Ardan,  "  to  ex^jlain  what  you  savants 
cannot  explain ;  at  least  my  hypothesis  has  the  advantage  of 
indicating  why  these  rifts  disappear,  or  seem  to  disappear,  at 
certain  seasons." 

"  And  for  what  reason  ?  " 

"  For  the  reason  that  the  trees  become  invisible  when  they  lose 
their  leaves,  and  visible  when  they  regain  them." 

"Your  explanation  is  ingenious,  my  dear  companion,"  replied 
Barbicane,  "  but  inadmissable." 

"Why?" 

"Because,  so  to  speak,  there  are  no  seasons  on  the  moon's 
surface,  and  that,  consequently,  the  phenomena  of  vegetation  of 
wliich  you  speak  cannot  occur." 

Indeed,  the  slight  obliquity  of  the  lunar  axis  keeps  the  sun 
at  an  almost  equal  height  in  every  latitude.  Above  the 
equatorial  regions  the  radiant  orb  almost  invariably  occupies  the 
zenith,  and  does  not  pass  the  limits  of  the  horizon  iu  the  polar 
regions;  tiuis,  according  to  each  region,  there  reigns  a  perpetual 
winter,  spring,  summer,  or  autumn,  as  in  the  planet  Jupiter,  whose 
axis  is  but  little  inclined  upon  its  orbit. 


HE  COULD  DISTINGUISH  XOTIUXG  BUT  DESERT  BEDS. 


[p.  247.] 


LUNAR    LANDSCAPES.  247 


Wliiit  origin  do  tlicy  attribute  to  these  rifts?  That  is  a 
question  diflicult  to  solve.  They  are  certainly  anterior  to  the 
foimation  of  craters  and  circles,  for  several  have  introduced  them- 
selves by  breaking  through  their  circular  ramparts.  Thus  it 
may  be  that,  contemporary  with  the  latter  geological  epochs,  they 
are  due  to  the  expansion  of  natural  forces. 

But  the  projectile  had  now  attained  the  40°  of  lunar  lat.,  at  a 
distance  not  exceeding  400  miles.  Through  the  glasses  objects 
appeared  to  be  only  four  miles  distant. 

At  this  point,  under  their  feet,  rose  Mount  Helicon.  1520  feet 
high,  and  round  about  the  left  rose  moderate  elevations,  enclosing 
a  small  portion  of  the  "  Sea  of  E.aius,"  under  the  name  of  the 
Gulf  of  Iris.  The  terrestrial  atmosphere  would  have  to  be  one 
hundred  and  seventy  times  more  transparent  than  it  is,  to  allow 
astronomers  to  make  perfect  observations  on  the  moon's  surface; 
but  in  the  void  in  which  the  projectile  floated  no  fluid  interposed 
itself  between  the  eye  of  the  observer  and  the  object  observed.  And 
more,  Barbicane  found  himself  cax'ried  to  a  greater  distance  than 
the  most  powerful  telescopes  had  ever  done  before,  either  that  of 
Lord  Rosse  or  that  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  He  was,  therefore, 
under  extremely  favourable  conditions  for  solving  that  great  ques- 
tion of  the  habitability  of  the  moon  ;  but  the  solution  still  escaped 
him ;  he  could  distinguish  nothing  but  desert  beds,  immense 
plains,  and  towards  the  north,  arid  mountains.  Not  a  work  be- 
trayed the  hand  of  man;  not  a  ruin  marked  his  course;  not  a  group 
of  animals  was  to  be  seen  indicating  life,  even  in  an  inferior 
degree.  In  no  part  was  there  life,  in  no  part  was  there  an 
appearance  of  vegetation.  Of  the  three  kingdoms  which  share  the 
terrestrial  globe  between  them,  one  alone  was  representeu  on  the 
lunar,  and  that  the  mineral. 

"  Ah,  indeed !  "  said  Michel  Ardan,  a  little  out  of  countenance; 
"  then  you  see  no  one  ?  " 

"  No,"  answered  NichoU  ;  "  up  to  this  time  not  a  man,  not  an 
animal,  not  a  tree!     After  all,  whether  the  atmos^jhere  has  taken 


248  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


refiigo  at  the  bottom  of  cavities,  in  the  midst  of  the  circles,  or 
oven  on  the  opposite  face  of  tlie  moon,  we  cannot  decide." 

*'  Besides,"  added  Barbicane,  "  even  to  the  most  piercing  eye  a 
man  cannot  be  distinguished  farther  than  three  miles  and  a  half 
off;  80  that,  if  there  are  any  Seleuites,  they  can  see  our  projectile, 
but  we  cannot  see  them." 

Towards  four  in  the  morning,  at  the  height  of  the  fiftieth 
jtanillel,  the  distance  was  i-educed  to  300  miles.  To  the  left  ran 
u  line  of  mountains  capriciously  shaped,  lying  in  the  full  light. 
To  the  right,  on  the  contrary,  lay  a  black  hollow  resembling  a 
vast  well,  unfathomable  and  gloomy,  drilled  into  the  lunar  soil. 

This  liolo  was  the  "Black  Lake;"  it  was  Pluto,  a  deep  circle 
■SN  hicli  can  be  conveniently  studied  from  the  earth,  between  the 
last  quarter  and  the  new  moon,  when  the  shadows  fall  from  west 
to  cast. 

This  black  colour  is  rarely  met  with  on  the  surface  of  the 
satellite.  As  yet  it  has  only  been  recognized  in  the  depths  of  the 
circle  of  Endymion,  to  the  east  of  the  Cold  Sea,  in  the  northern 
hemisphere,  and  at  the  bottom  of  Grimaldi's  circle,  on  the  equator, 
towards  the  eastern  border  of  the  orb. 

Pluto  is  an  annular  mountain,  situated  in  51°  north  latitude, 
and  9°  east  longitude.  lis  circuit  is  forty-seven  miles  long  and 
thirty-two  broad. 

Barbicane  regretted  that  they  were  not  passing  directly  above 
this  vast  opening.  There  was  an  abyss  to  fathom,  jjcrhaps  some 
mysterious  phenomenon  to  surprise  ;  but  the  projectile's  course 
could  not  be  altered.  They  must  rigidly  submit.  They  could 
not  guide  a  balloon,  still  less  a  projectile,  when  once  enclosed 
witliin  its  walls.  Towards  five  in  the  morning  the  northern  limits 
of  the  Sea  of  Rains  was  at  length  passed.  The  mounts  of  Con- 
daniine  and  Fontcnelle  remained— one  on  the  right,  the  other 
on  the  left.  That  part  of  the  disc  beginning  with  60^  was 
becoming  quite  mountainous.  The  glasses  brought  them  to 
witi.iu  two  miles,  less  than  that  separating  the   summit  of  Mont 


LUNAR    LANDSCAPES.  249 

Blanc  from  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  whole  region  was  bristling 
Avith  spikes  and  circles.  Towards  the  60^  Philolaus  stood  pre- 
dominant at  a  height  of  5550  feet  Avith  its  elliptical  crater, 
and  seen  from  this  distance,  the  disc  showed  a  very  fantastical 
appearance.  Landscapes  were  presented  to  the  eye  under  veiy 
different  conditions  from  those  on  the  earth,  and  also  very  inferior 
to  them. 

The  moon  having  no  atmosphere,  the  consequences  arising 
from  the  absence  of  this  gaseous  envelope  have  already  been 
shown.  No  twilight  on  her  surface  ;  night  following  day  and 
day  following  night  with  the  suddenness  of  a  lamp  which  is  ex- 
tinguished or  lighted  amidst  profound  darkness, — no  transition 
from  cold  to  heat,  the  temperature  falling  in  an  instant  from 
boiling  point  to  the  cold  of  space. 

Another  consequence  of  this  want  of  air  is  that  absolute  dai'k- 
ness  reigns  where  the  sun's  rays  do  not  penetrate.  That  which  on 
earth  is  called  diffusion  of  light,  that  luminous  matter  which  the 
air  holds  in  suspension,  which  creates  the  twilight  and  the  day- 
break, which  produces  the  umhroe  and  the  penumbrce,  and  all  the 
mao-ic  of  chiaro-oscuro,  does  not  exist  on  the  moon.  Hence  the  . 
harshness  of  contrasts,  which  only  admit  of  two  colours,  black  and 
white.  If  a  Selenite  were  to  shade  his  eyes  from  the  sun's  rays, 
the  sky  would  seem  absolutely  black,  and  ihe.  stars  would  shine  to 
him  as  on  the  darkest  night.  Judge  of  the  impression  produced 
on  Barbicane  and  his  three  friends  by  this  strange  scene  !  Their 
eyes  were  confused.  They  could  no  longer  grasp  the  respective 
distances  of  the  different  plains.  A  lunar  landscape  Avithout  the 
softening  of  the  phenomena  of  chiaro-oscuro  could  not  be  rendered 
by  an  earthly  landscape  painter  :  it  would  be  spots  of  ink  on  a 
■white  page — nothing  more. 

This  aspect  was  not  altered  even  when  the  projectile,  at  the 
height  of  80°,  was  only  separated  from  the  moon  by  a  dis- 
tance of  fifty  miles  ;  nor  even  Avhen,  at  five  in  the  morning,  it 
passed  at  less  than  twenty-five  miles  from  the  mountain  of  Gioja, 


2 CO  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


a  distftnco  reduced  by  the  glasses  to  .1  quarter  of  a  mile.  It 
eccnicd  as  if  the  moon  might  be  touched  by  the  hand  !  It  geemed 
impossible  that,  before  long,  the  projectile  would  not  strike  her,  if 
only  at  the  north  pole,  the  brilliant  arch  of  which  was  so  distinctly 
visible  on  the  black  sky. 

Michel  Ardan  wanted  to  open  one  of  the  scuttles  and  throw 
himself  on  to  the  moon's  surface !  A  very  useless  attempt ;  for 
if  the  projectile  could  not  attain  any  point  whatever  of  the 
satellite,  Michel,  carried  along  by  its  motion,  could  not  attain  it 

either. 

At  that  moment,  at  six  o'clock,  the  lunar  pole  appeared.  The 
disc  only  presented  to  the  travellers'  gaze  one  half  brilliantly  lit 
up,  whilst  the  other  disappeared  in  the  darkness.  Suddenly  the 
projectile  passed  the  line  of  demarcation  between  intense  light 
aud  absolute  darkness,  and  was  plunged  in  profound  night  ! 


THE  NIGHT  OF  354   HOURS  AND   A    HALF.  25I 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE    NIGHT    OF    THREE    HUNDRED    AND    FIFTY-FOUR   HOURS 

AND    A    HALF. 

At  tbe  moment  when  this  phenomenon  took  place  so  rapidly,  the 
projectile  was  skirting  the  moon's  north  pole  at  less  that  twenty- 
five  miles  distance.  Some  seconds  had  sufficed  to  plunge  it  into  the 
absolute  darkness  of  space.  Tlae  transition  was  so  sudden,  without 
shade,  without  gradation  of  light,  without  attenuation  of  the 
luminous  waves,  that  the  orb  seemed  to  have  been  extinguished 
by  a  powerful  blow. 

"  Melted,  disappeared !"  Michel  Ardan  exclaimed,  aghast. 

Indeed,  there  was  neither  reflection  nor  shadow.  Nothing 
more  was  to  be  seen  of  that  disc,  formerly  so  dazzling.  The  dark- 
ness was  complete,  and  rendered  even  more  so  by  the  rays  from 
the  stars.  It  was  "  that  blackness  "  in  which  the  lunar  uights  are 
insteejjed,  which  last  three  hundred  and  four  hours  and  a  half  at 
each  point  of  the  disc,  a  long  night  resulting  from  the  equality  of 
the  translatory  and  rotatory  movements  of  the  moon.  The  pro- 
jectile, immerged  in  the  conical  shadow  of  the  satellite,  expe- 
rienced the  action  of  the  solar  rays  no  more  than  any  of  its 
invisible  points. 

In  the  interior,  the  obscurity  was  complete.  They  could  not 
see  each  other.  Hence  the  necessity  of  dispelling  the  darkness. 
However  desirous  Barbicane  might  be  to  husband  the  gas,  the 
reserve  of  which  was  small,  he  was  obliged  to  ask  from  it 
a  fictitious  light,  an  expensive  brilliancy  which  the  sun  then 
reiused. 


252 


ROUND    THE   MOON. 


"  Devil  take  the  radiant  orb  !"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardau,  "  which  \ 
forces  us  to  expend  gas,  instead  of  giving  us  his  rays  gratuitously." 

"  Do  not  let  us  accuse  the  sun,"  said  Nicholi,  "it  is  not  his  i 
fault,  but  that  of  the  moon,  which  has  come  and  placed  herself] 
like  a  screen  between  us  and  it." 

"  It  is  the  sun !"  continued  Michel. 

"  It  is  the  moon  !"  retorted  NichoU. 

An  idle  disj)ute,  which  Barbicane  put  an  end  to  by  saying, — 

'^  My  friends,  it  is  neither  the  fault  of  the  sun  nor  of  the  moon  ; 
it  is  the  fault  of  the  'projectile,  which,  instead  of  rigidly  following 
its  course,  has  awkwardly  missed  it.  To  be  more  just,  it  is  the 
fault  of  that  unfartuuate  meteor  Avhich  has  so  deplorably  altered 
our  first  direction. 

"  Well,"  replied  Michel  Ardan,  "as  the  matter  is  settled,  let  usj 
have  breakfast.  After  a  whole  night  of  watching,  it  is  fair  to] 
build  ourselves  up  a  little." 

This  proposal  meeting  with  no  contradiction,  Michel  prepared] 
the  repast  in  a  few  minutes.  But  they  ate  for  eating's  sake,  theyj 
drank  without  toasts,  without  hurrahs.  The  bold  travellers  being] 
borne  away  into  gloomy  space,  without  their  accustomed  cortege  of  I 
rays,  felt  a  vague  uneasiness  at  their  hearts.  The  ""strange 
shadow  so  dear  to  Victor  Hugo's  pen  bound  tliem  on  all  sides.] 
But  they  talked  over  the  intei'minable  night  of  three  hundred  and! 
iifty-four  hours  and  a  half,  neai'ly  fifteen  days,  which  the  law] 
of  physics  has  imi^osed  on  the  inhabitants  of  the  moon. 

Barbicane  gave  his  friends  some  explanation  of  the  causes  andj 
the  consequences  of  this  curious  phenomenon. 

"Carious  indeed,"  said  they;  "for,  if  each  hemisphere  of  the  moon  I 
|s  deprived  of  solar  light  for  fifteen  days,  that  above  which  we  I 
noTT  float  does  not  even  enjoy  during  its  long  night  any  view  of  j 
the  earth  so  beautifully  lit  np.  In  a  word  she  has  no  moon] 
(applying  this  designation  to  our  globe)  but  on  one  side  of  her  disci 
Now  if  this  were  the  case  with  the  earth, — if,  for  example,  Europe 
never  saw  the  moon,  and  she  was  only  visible  at  the  Antipodes, 


'IT  IS  THE  FAULT  OF  THE  MOOX.' 


[p.  252.1 


i 


I 


THE  NIGHT  OF  354   HOURS  AND   A    HALF.  253 

imagine  to  yourself  the  astonishment  of  a  European  on  arriving 
in  Australia." 

"  They  would  make  the  voyage  for  nothing  but  to  see  the 
nioou  !  "  replied  Michel. 

"  Very  well ! "  continued  Barbicane,  "  that  astonishment  is 
reserved  for  the  Selenites  who  inhabit  tlie  face  of  the  moon  oppo- 
site to  the  earth,  a  face  which  is  ever  invisible  to  our  countrymen 
of  the  terrestrial  globe." 

"And  which  we  should  have  seen,"  added  Nieholl,  "  if  we  had 
arrivedhere  when  the  moon  was  new,  that  is  tosay  fifieendays  later." 
"  I  will  add,  to  make  amends,"  continued  Barbicane,  "  that  the 
inhabitants  of  the  visible  face  are  singularly  favoured  by  nature, 
to  the  detriment  of  their  brethren  on  the  invisible  face.  The  latter, 
as  you  see,  have  dark  nights  of  354  hours,  without  one  single  ray 
to  break  the  darkness.  The  other,  on  the  contrary,  when  the  sun 
which  has  given  its  light  for  fifteen  days  sinks  below  the  horizon, 
see  a  splendid  orb  rise  on  the  opposite  horizon.  It  is  the  earth, 
Avhich  is  thirteen  times  greater  than  that" diminutive  moon  that  we 
know ; — the  earth  which  developes  itself  at  a  diameter  of  two 
degrees,  and  which  sheds  a  light  thirteen  times  greater  than  that 
qualified  by  atmospheric  strata— the  earth  which  only  disappears 
at  the  moment  when  the  sun  reappears  in  its  turn  !" 

"  Nicely  worded !"  said  Michel,  "  slightly  academical  perhaps." 

"  It  follows,  then,"  continued   Barbicane,  without  knitting  his 

brows,  "  that  the  visible  face  of  the  disc  must  be  very  agreeable 

to  inhabit,  since  it  always  looks  on  either  the  sun  when  the  moon 

is  full,  or  on  the  earth  when  the  moon  is  new." 

"  But,"  said  Nieholl,  "  that  advantage  must  be  well  compen- 
sated by  the  insupportable  heat  which  the  light  brings  with  it." 

"  The  inconvenience,  in  that  respect,  is  the  same  for  the  two 
faces,  for  the  earth's  light  is  evidently  deprived  of  heat.  But  the 
invisible  face  is  still  more  searched  by  the  heat  than  the  visible 
face.  I  say  that  for  you,  Nieholl,  because  Michel  will  probably 
not  understand." 


354  ROUND    THE   MOON: 


E 


"  Thank  yon,"  said  Michel. 

*' Intlcctl,"  conlinuod  liarbicane,  "  when  the  invisible  face  re- 
ceives at  t!ie  same  time  light  and  heat  from  the  sun,  it  is  because 
the  moon  is  new  ;  I  hat  is  to  say,  she  is  situated  between  the  sun 
mid  the  oaitli.  It  follows,  tlieu,  considcriusj  the  position  which 
iho  occupies  in  opposition  when  full,  that  she  is  nean-r  to  the  sun 
by  twice  her  distance  from  tlic  earth  ;  and  that  distance  may 
bo  estimated  at  the  two-huiulrcdtb  part  of  that  which  separates 
tlie  6un  from  the  earth,  or  iu  round  numbers  400,000  miles.  So 
that  invisible  face  is  so  much  nearer  to  the  sua  when  she  receives 
its  rayp." 

"Quite  riglit,"  replied  Nicholl. 
"  On  the  contrary,"  continued  Barbicane. 

"  One  moment,"  said  Michel,  interrupting  his  grave  companion. 
"What  do  you  want?" 

"  I  ask  to  be  allowed  to  continue  the  explanation." 
"And  why?" 

"  To  prove  that  I  understand." 
"  Get  along  with  you,"  said  Barbicane,  smiling. 
"  On  the  contrary,"  said  Michel,  imitating  the  tone  and  ges- 
tures of  the  president,  "  on  the  contrary,  Avhen  the  visible  face  of 
the  moon  is  lit  by  the  sun,  it  is  because  the  moon  is  full,  that  is 
to  say,  opposite  the  sun  with  regard  to  the  earth.  The  distance 
BOimi-ating  it  from  the  vadiant  orb  is  then  increased  iu  round 
numbers  to  400,000  miles,  and  the  beat  which  she  receives  must 
be  a  little  less." 

"Very  well  said!"  exclaimed  Barbicane.  "Do  you  know, 
Michel,  that,  for  an  amateur,  you  are  intelligent." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Michel  coolly,  "  we  are  all  so  on  the  Boulevard 
dcs  Itjilirn«." 

Barl>icane  gravely  cla.pod  the  hand  of  his  amiable  companion, 
and  continued  to  enimicMate  the  advantages  reserved  for  the 
inhabitants  of  tlie  visible  face. 

Amongst  others,  ho  mentioned  eclipses  of  tU  sun,  which  only 


THE   NIGHT  OF   354   HOURS  AND   A    HALF.  255 

take  place  on  this  side  of  the  hinar  disc  ;  siuce,  in  order  that  they 
may  take  place,  it  is  necesssary  for  the  moon  to  be  in  opposition. 
These  eclipses,  caused  by  the  interposition  of  the  earth  hetwecu 
the  moon  and  the  sun,  can  last  two  houvR ;  during  which  time,  by 
reason  of  the  rays  refracted  by  its  atmosphere,  the  terrestrial 
globe  can  appear  as  nothing  but  a  black  point  upon  the  sun. 

*'  So,"  said  Nicholl,  "  there  is  a  hemisphere,  that  invisible 
hemisphere  -svliich  is  very  ill  supplied,  very  ill  treated,  by 
nature." 

"Never  mind,"  replied  Michel  ;  "  if  we  ever  become  Selenites, 
•we  will  inhabit  the  visible  face.     I  like  the  light." 

"  Unless,  by  any  chance,"  answered  Nicholl,  "  the  atmosphere 
should  be  condensed  on  the  other  side,  as  certain  astronomers 
pretend." 

"  That  would  be  a  consideration,"  said  Michel. 
Breakfast  over,  the  observers  returned  to  their  post.     They 
tried  to  see  through  the  darkened  scuttles  by  extinguishing  all 
light  in  the  projectile  ;  but  not  a  luminous  spark  made  its  way 
through  the  darkness. 

One  inexplicable  fact  preoccupied  Barbicane.  Why,  having 
passed  within  such  a  short  distance  of  the  moon— about  twenty- 
five  miles  only — why  the  piojectile  had  not  fallen  ?  If  its  speed 
had  been  enormous,  be  could  have  understood  that  the  fall  would 
not  have  taken  place  ;  but,  with  a  relatively  moderate  speed,  that 
resistance  to  the  moon's  attraction  could  not  be  explained.  Was 
the  projectile  under  some  foreign  influence  ?  Did  some  kind  of 
body  retain  it  in  the  ether  ?  It  was  quite  evident  that  it  could 
never  reach  any  point  of  the  moon.  Whither  was  it  going  ?  Was 
it  going  farther  from,  or  nearing,  the  disc  ?  Was  it  being  borne 
in  that  profound  darkness  through  the  infinity  of  space  ?  How 
could  they  learn,  how  calculate,  in  the  midst  of  this  night  ?  All 
these  questions  made  Barbicane  uneasy,  but  he  could  not  solve 
them. 

Certainly,  the  invisible  orb  was  there,  perhaps  only  some  few 


2c6  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


miles  ofV;  but  neither  he  nor  his  companions  conkl  see  it.  If 
there  was  any  noise  on  its  snrfixce,  they  could  not  hear  it.  Air, 
that  medium  of  sound,  was  wanting  to  transmit  the  groanings  of 
that  moon  which  the  Arabic  legends  call  "  a  man  already  half 
granite,  and  still  breathing." 

One  must  allow  tiiat  that  was  enough  to  aggravate  the  most 
patient  observers.  It  was  just  that  unknown  hemisphere  which 
was  stealing  from  their  sight.  That  face  Avhich  fifteen  days 
sooner,  or  fifteen  days  later,  had  been,  or  would  be,  splendidly 
illuminated  by  the  solar  rays,  was  then  being  lost  in  utter 
darkness.  In  fifteen  days  where  would  the  projectile  be  ?  Who 
could  say  ?  Where  would  the  chances  of  conflicting  attractions 
have  drawn  it  to  ?  The  disappoiutme.it  of  the  travellers  in  the 
midst  of  this  utter  darkness  may  be  imagined.  All  observation 
of  the  liuiar  disc  was  impossible.  The  constellations  alone 
claimed  all  their  attention  ;  and  we  must  allow  that  the  astro- 
nomers Faye,  Charconac,  and  Secchi,  never  found  themselves  in 
circumstances  so  favourable  for  their  observation. 

Indeed,  nothing  could  equal  the  splendour  of  this  starry  world, 
bathed  in  limpid  ether.  Its  diamonds  set  in  the  heavenly  vault 
sparkled  magtiificently.  The  eye  took  in  the  firmament  from  the 
Southern  Cioss  to  the  North  Star,  those  two  constellations  which 
in  12.000  years,  by  reason  of  the  succession  of  equinoxes, 
will  resign  their  part  of  polar  stars,  the  one  to  Canopus  in  the 
Bouthorn  hemisphere,  the  other  to  Wega  in  the  northern.  Ima- 
gination loses  itself  in  this  sublime  Infinity,  amidst  which  the 
l.n.jectile  was  gravitating,  like  a  new  star  created  by  the  hand  of 
man.  From  a  natural  cause,  these  constellations  shone  with  a 
soft  lustre  ;  they  did  not  twinkle,  for  there  was  no  atmosphere 
wJiich,  l)y  the  intervention  of  its  layers  unequally  dense  and  of 
ditferont  degrees  of  humidity,  produces  this  scintillation.  These 
stars  were  soft  eyes,  looking  out  into  the  dark  night,  amidst  the 
silence  of  absolute  space. 

Long  did  the  travellers  stand  mute,  watching  the  constellated 


NOTHING  COULD  EQUAL  THE  SPLENDOR  OF  THTS 
STAKRY  WORLD. 


[r.  250.] 


THE  NIGHT  OF  354   HOURS   AND   A    HALF.  257 

firmament,  upon  which  the  moon,  like  a  vast  screen,  made  an 
enormous  black  hole.  But  at  length  a  painful  sensation  drew 
them  from  their  watchings.  This  was  an  intense  cold,  which 
soon  covered  the  inside  of  the  glass  of  the  scuttles  with  a  thick 
coating  of  ice.  The  sun  was  no  longer  warming  the  projectile 
with  its  direct  rays,  and  thus  it  was  losing  the  heat  stored  up  in 
its  walls  by  degrees.  This  heat  was  rapidly  evaporating  into 
space  by  radiation,  and  a  considerably  lower  temperature  was  the 
result.  The  humidity  of  the  interior  Avas  changed  into  ice  upon 
contact  with  the  glass,  preventing  all  observation. 

Nicholl  consulted  the  thermometer,  and  saw  that  it  had  fallen 
to  seventeen  degrees  (centigrade)  below  zero.^  So  that,  in  spite 
of  the  many  reasons  for  economizing,  Barbicane,  after  having 
begged  light  from  the  gas,  was  also  obliged  to  beg  for  heat.  The 
projectile's  low  temperature  was  no  longer  endurable.  Its  tenants 
would  have  been  frozen  to  death. 

"Well!"  observed  Michel,  "we  cannot  reasonably  complain  of 
the  monotony  of  our  journey  !  What  variety  we  have  had,  at  least 
in  temperature.  Noav  we  are  blinded  with  light  and  saturated 
Avith  heat,  like  the  Indians  of  the  Pampas !  now  plunged  into 
profound  darkness,  amidst  the  cold  like  the  Esquimauxs  of  the 
north  pole.  No,  indeed !  Ave  have  no  right  to  complain ;  nature 
does  wonders  in  our  honour." 

"  But,"  asked  NichoU,  "  what  is  the  temperature  outside  ?" 

"  Exactly  that  of  the  planetary  space,"  replied  Barbicane. 

"  Then,"  continued  Michel  Ardan,  "  would  not  this  be  the  time 
to  make  the  experiment  Avhich  we  dared  not  attempt,  when  we 
Avere  droAvned  in  the  sun's  rays  ?" 

"  It  is  now  or  never,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  for  Ave  are  in  a  good 
position  to  verify  the  temperature  of  space,  and  see  if  Fourier  or 
Pouillet's  calculations  are  exact." 

"  In  any  case  it  is  cold,"  said  Michel.    "  See !  the  steam  of  the 

»  1°  Falir.     (Ed.) 


258  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


interior  is  condensing  on  the  glasses  of  the  scnttles.  If  the  fall 
continues,  the  vapour  of  our  breath  will  full  in  snow  around 
us." 

"  Let  us  prepare  a  thermometer,"  said  Barbicane. 

Wo  may  imagine  that  an  ordinary  thermometer  would  afford  no 
result  under  the  circumstances  in  which  this  instrument  was  to  be 
exposed.  The  mercury  would  have  been  frozen  in  its  ball,  as 
below  forty-two  degrees  below  zero*  it  is  no  longer  liquid.  But 
Barbicane  had  furnished  himself  with  a  spirit  thermometer  on 
Wafferdin's  system,  which  gives  the  minima  of  excessively  low 
temperatures. 

Before  beginning  tlie  experiment,  tbis  instrument  was  com- 
pared with  an  ordinary  one,  and  then  Barbicane  prepared  to  use  it. 

"  How  shall  we  set  about  it  ?"  asked  Nicholl. 

"  Nothing  is  easier,"  replied  Michel  Ardan,  who  was  never  at 
a  loss.  "We  open  the  scuttle  rapidly;  throw  out  the  instru- 
ment; it  follows  the  projectile  with  exemplary  docility;  and  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  after,  draw  it  in. 

"  With  the  hand  ?"  asked  Barbicane. 

"  With  the  hand,"  replied  Michel. 

"  Well  then,  my  friend,  do  not  expose  yourself,"  answered 
Barbicane,  "  for  the  hand  that  you  di'aw  in  again  will  be  nothing 
but  a  stump  frozen  and  deformed  by  the  frightful  cold." 

"  Really !" 

"  You  will  feel  as  if  you  had  had  a  terrible  burn,  like  that  of 
iron  at  a  white  heat  ;  for  whether  the  heat  leaves  our  bodies 
briskly  or  enters  briskly,  it  is  exactly  the  same  thing.  Besides,  I 
am  not  at  all  certain  that  the  objects  we  have  thrown  out  are  still 
following  us." 

"  Why  not  ?"  asked  Nicholl. 

"  Because,  if  we  are  parsing  through  an  atmosphere  of  the 
slightest  density,  these  objects  will  be  retarded.  Again,  the  dark- 
ness prevents  our  seeing  if  they  still  float  around  us.  But  in  order 

»  -41*  Falir.     (Ed.) 


"THE  YAPOR  OF  OUR  BREATH  WILL   FALL  IN  SNOW 
AROUND  US." 


[p.  258.] 


THE  NIGHT  OF  354   HOURS  AND   A    HALF.  259 

not  to  expose  ourselves  to  the  loss  of  our  thermometer,  we  will 
fasten  it,  and  we  can  then  more  easily  pull  it  buck  ao'ain." 

Barbicane's  advice  was  followed.  Through  the  scuttle  rapidly 
opened,  Nicholl  threw  out  the  instrument  which  was  held  by  a 
short  cord,  so  that  it  might  be  more  easily  drawn  up.  The  scuttle 
had  not  been  opened  more  than  a  second,  but  that  second  had 
sufficed  to  let  in  a  most  intense  cold.  > 

"  The  devil !"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan,  "  it  is  cold  enough  to 
freeze  a  white  bear." 

Barbicane  waited  until  half  an  hour  had  elapsed,  which  was 
more  than  time  enough  to  allow  the  instrument  to  fall  to  the  level 
of  the  surrounding  tempei-ature.    Then  it  was  rapidly  pulled  in. 

Barbicane  calculated  the  quantity  of  spirits  of  wine  overflowed 
into  the  little  phial  soldered  to  the  lower  part  of  the  instrument, 
and  said, — 

"  A  hundred  and  forty  degrees  centigrade'  below  zero  ! " 

M.  Pouillet   was    right    and    Fourier   wrong.     That  was  the 

undoubted  temperature  of  the  starry  space.      Such  is,  perhaps, 

that  of  the  lunar  continent?,  when  the  orb  of  night  has  lost  by 

radiation  all  the  heat  which  fifteen   days  of  sun  have  poured 

into  her. 

»  -218'Falir.     (Ed.) 


26o  ROUXD    THE    .IfOOJV. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

DYPERIJOLA.   OR   PARABOLA. 

We  may,  perhaps,  be  astonished  to  find  Barbicane  and  his  com- 
panions so  little  ocenpied  with  the  future  reserved  for  them  in 
their  melal  prison  which  was  bearing  them  through  the  infinity 
of  space.  Instead  of  asking  where  they  were  going,  they  passed 
their  time  making  experiments,  as  if  they  had  been  quietly 
installed  in  their  own  study. 

We  might  answer  that  men  so  strong-minded  were  above  such 
anxieties— that  they  did  not  trouble  themselves  about  such  trifles 
— and  that  they  had  something  else  to  do  than  to  occupy  their 
minds  with  the  future. 

The  truth  was  that  they  were  not  masters  of  their  projectile  ; 
they  could  neither  check  its  course,  nor  alter  its  direction. 

A  sailor  can  change  the  head  of  his  ship  as  he  pleases;  an 
aeronaut  can  give  a  vertical  motion  to  his  balloon.  They,  on  the 
contrary,  had  no  power  over  their  vehicle.  Every  mancBuvi*e  was 
forl)idden.  Hence  the  inclination  to  let  things  alone,  or  as  the 
Kiilors  t^ay,  "  let  her  run." 

Where  did  they  find  themselves  at  this  moment,  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning  of  the  day  called  upon  the  earth  the  6th  of  De- 
cember ?  Very  certainly  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  moon,  and 
even  near  enough  for  her  to  look  to  them  like  an  enormous  black 
screen  upou  the  firmament.  As  to  the  distance  which  separated 
them,  it  was  impossible  to  estimate  it.  The  projectile,  held  by 
porae  unaccountable  force,  had  been  within  four  miles  of  grazing 
the  satellite's  north  pole. 


A  DISCUSSION  AROSE. 


[p.  261.1 


HYPERBOLA    OR    PARABOLA.  26 1 


But  since  entering  the  cone  of  shadow  these  last  two  hours,  had 
the  distance  increased  or  diminished  ?  Every  point  of  mark  was 
wanting  by  which  to  estimate  both  the  direction  and  the  speed  of 
the  projectile. 

Perhaps  it  was  rapidly  leaving  the  disc,  so  that  it  would  soon 
quit  the  pure  shadow.  Perhaps,  again,  on  the  other  hand,  it 
might  be  nearing  it  so  much  that  in  a  short  time  it  might  strike 
some  high  point  on  the  invisible  hemisphere,  which  would  doubt- 
lessly have  ended  the  journey  much  to  the  detriment  of  the 
travellers. 

A  discussion  arose  on  this  siibject,  and  Michel  Ardan,  always 
ready  with  an  explanation,  gave  it  as  his  opinion  that  the  pro- 
jectile, held  by  the  lunar  attraction,  would  end  by  falling  on  the 
surface  of  the  terrestrial  globe  like  an  aerolite. 

"  First  of  all,  my  friend,"  answered  Barbicane,  "  every  aerolite 
does  not  fall  to  the  earth  ;  it  is  only  a  small  proportion  which  do 
so  ;  and  if  we  had  passed  into  an  aerolite,  it  does  not  necessarily 
follow  that  we  should  ever  reach  the  surface  of  the  moon." 
"But  how  if  we  get  near  enough  ?"  replied  MicheL 
"Pure   mistake,"   replied   Barbicane.      "Have   you   not    seen 
shooting   stars   rush   through  the  sky  by  thousands   at   certain 
seasons  ?  " 
"  Yes." 

"  Well,  these  stars,  or  rather  corpuscules,  only  shine  when  they 
are  heated  by  gliding  over  the  atmospheric  layers.  Now,  if  they 
enter  the  atmosphere,  they  pass  at  least  within  forty  miles  of  the 
earth,  but  they  seldom  fall  upon  it.  The  same  with  our  pro- 
jectile.    It  may  approach  very  near  to  the  moon,  and  yet  not  fall 

upon  it." 

"  But  then,"  asked  Michel,  "  I  shall  be  curious  to  know  how 

our  erring  vehicle  will  act  in  space  ?" 

"I   see  but  two   hypotheses,"    replied  Barbicane,   after  some 

moments'  reflection. 
"What  are  they?' 


262  ROUND    THE  MOON 


"The  projectile  lias  the  choice  between  two  mathemfitical 
ciirvci?,  aud  it  will  follow  one  or  the  other  according  to  the  speec 
•with  which  it  is  animated,  and  which  at  this  momeat  I  cannot 


estimate." 


"Yes,"  said  Nicholl,  "it  will  follow  either  a  parabola  or  a 
hyperbola." 

"Jnst  so,"  replied  Barbicane.  "  With  a  certain  speed  it  will 
assnme  the  parabola,  and  with  a  greater  the  hyperbola." 

"I  like  those  giand  words,"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan  ;  "one 
knows  directly  what  they  mean.  And  pray  what  is  your  para- 
bola, if  you  please  ?" 

"  My  friend,"  answered  the  captain,  "  the  parabola  is  a  curve 
of  the  second  order,  the  result  of  the  section  of  a  cone  intersected 
by  a  plane  parallel  to  one  of  its  sides." 

"Ah  !  ah  !"  said  Michel,  in  a  satisfied  tone. 

"It  is  very  nearly,"  continued  Nicholl,  "the  course  described 
by  a  bomb  launched  from  a  mortar." 

"  Perfect !     And  the  hyperbola  ?"  I 

"  The  hyperbola,  Michel,  is  a  curve  of  the  second  order,  pro- 
duced by  the  intersection  of  a  conic  surface  and  a  plane  parallel 
to  its  axis,  and  constitutes  two  branches  separated  one  from  the 
other,  both  tending  indefinitely  in  the  two  directions." 

"  Is  it  possible  ! "  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan  in  a  serious  tone,  as 
if  they  had  told  him  of  some  serious  event.  "  What  I  particularly 
like  in  your  definition  of  the  hyperbola  (I  was  going  to  say  hyper- 
blague)  is  that  it  is  still  more  obscure  than  the  word  you  pretend 
to  define." 

Nicholl  and  Barbicane  cared  little  for  Michel  Ardan's  fun. 
They  were  deep  in  a  scientific  discussion.  What  curve  would  the 
projectile  follow  ?  was  their  hobby.  One  maintained  the  hyper- 
bola, the  other  the  parabola.  They  gave  each  other  reasons 
bristling  with  .r.  Their  arguments  were  couched  in  language 
which  made  Michel  jnnip.  Tiie  discnssion  was  hot,  and  neither 
would  give  up  his  chosen  curve  to  his  adversary. 


HYPERBOLA    OR    PARABOLA.  263 

This  scientific  dispute  lasted  so  long  that  it  made  Michel  very 
impatient. 

"  Ni)W,  gentlemen  co-sincp,  will  you  cease  to  throw  paraholas 
and  hyperbolas  at  each  other  s  heads  ?  I  want  to  understand  tho 
only  interesting  question  in  the  whole  affair.  We  shall  follow  one 
or  other  of  these  curves?  Good.  But  where  will  they  lead  us 
to?" 

"  Nowhere,"  replied  Nicholl. 

"  How,  nowhere  ?  " 

"  Evidently,"  said  Barbicane,  "  they  are  open  curves,  which 
may  be  prolonged  indefinitely." 

"Ah,  savants!"  cried  Michel;  "and  what  are  either  the  one 
or  the  other  to  us  from  the  moment  we  know  that  they  equally 
lead  lis  into  infinite  space  ?" 

Barbicane  and  Nicholl  could  not  forbear  smiling.  They  had 
just  been  Ci-eating  "art  for  art's  sake."  Never  had  so  idle  a 
question  been  raised  at  such  an  inopportune  moment.  The 
sinister  truth  remained  that,  wdiether  hyperbolically  or  paraboli- 
cally  borne  away,  the  projectile  would  never  again  meet  either 
the  earth  or  the  moon. 

What  would  become  of  these  bold  travellers  in  the  immediate 
future  ?  If  they  did  not  die  of  hunger,  if  they  did  not  die  of 
thirst,  in  some  days,  when  the  gas  failed,  they  would  die  from 
want  of  air,  unless  the  cold  had  killed  them  first.  Still,  important 
as  it  was  to  economize  the  gas,  the  excessive  lowness  of  the  sur- 
rounding temperature  obliged  them  to  consume  a  certain  quantity. 
Strictly  speaking,  they  could  do  without  its  lujlit,  but  not  without 
its  hiat.  Fortunately  the  caloric  generated  by  lleiset's  and 
Rcgnaut's  apparatus  raised  the  temperature  of  the  interior  of  the 
projectile  a  little,  and  without  much  expenditure  they  were  able 
to  keep  it  bearable. 

But  observations  had  now  become  very  difficult.  The  damp- 
ness of  the  projectile  was  condensed  on  the  windows  and 
congealed   immediately.     This   cloudiness   had   to   be    dispersed 


264  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


continually.     In  any  case  they  might  hope  to  be  able  to  discover 
some  phenomena  of  the  highest  interest. 

But  up  to  this  time  the  disc  remained  dumb  and  dark.  It  did 
not  answer  the  multiplicity  of  questions  put  by  these  ardent 
minds ;  a  matter  which  drew  this  reflection  from  Michel,  appa- 
rently a  just  one, — 

"  If  ever  we  begin  this  journey  over  again,  we  shall  do  well  to 
choose  the  time  when  the  moon  is  at  the  full." 

"  Certainly,"  said  Nicholl,  "  that  circumstance  will  be  more 
favourable.  I  allow  that  the  moon,  immersed  in  the  sun's  rays, 
■will  not  be  visible  during  the  transit,  but  instead  we  should  see 
the  earth,  which  would  be  full.  And  what  is  more,  if  we  were 
drawn  round  the  moon,  as  at  this  moment,  we  should  at  least 
have  the  advantage  of  seeing  the  invisible  part  of  her  disc 
magnificently  lit." 

"  Well  said,  Nicholl,"  replied  Michel  Ardan.  "  What  do  you 
think,  Barbicane?" 

"  I  think  this,"  answered  the  grave  president :  "  If  ever  we 
begin  this  journey  again,  we  shall  start  at  the  same  time  and 
under  the  same  conditions.  Suppose  we  had  attained  our  end, 
would  it  not  have  been  better  to  have  found  continents  in  broad 
daylight,  than  a  country  plunged  in  utter  darkness  ?  Would  not 
our  first  installation  have  been  made  under  better  circumstances  ? 
Yes,  evidently.  As  to  the  invisible  side,  we  could  have  visited 
it  in  our  exploring  expeditions  on  the  lunar  globe.  So  that  the 
time  of  the  full  moon  was  well  chosen.  But  we  ought  to  have 
arrived  at  the  end  ;  and  in  order  to  have  so  arrived,  we  ought  to 
have  suffered  no  deviation  on  the  road." 

"  I  have  nothing  to  say  to  that,"  acswered  Michel  Ardan. 
"  Here  is,  however,  a  good  opportunity  lost  of  observing  the  other 
side  of  the  moon." 

But  the  projectile  was  now  describing  in  the  shadow  that 
incalculable  course  which  no  sight-mark  would  allo\^  them  to 
ascertain.     Had  its  direction  been  altered,  either  by  the  influence 


i 


HYPERBOLA    OR    PARABOLA.  265 


of  the  lunar  attraction,  or  by  the  action  of  some  unknown  star? 
Barbicaue  could  not  say.  But  a  change  had  taken  place  in  tho 
relative  position  of  the  vehicle ;  and  Barbicane  veriflcd  it  about 
four  in  the  morniusr. 

The  change  consisted  in  this,  that  the  base  of  the  projectile 
bad  turned  towards  the  moon's  surface,  and  was  so  held  by  a 
perpendicular  passing  through  its  axis.  The  attraction,  that  is 
to  say  the  weight,  had  brought  about  this  alteration.  The  heaviest 
part  of  the  projectile  inclined  towards  the  invisible  disc  as  if  it 
would  fall  upon  it. 

Was  it  falling?  Were  the  travellers  attaining  that  much 
desired  end  ?  No.  And  the  observation  of  a  sign-point,  quite 
inexplicable  In  itself,  showed  Barbicane  that  his  projectile  was 
not  nearing  the  moon,  and  that  it  had  shifted  by  following  an 
almost  concentric  curve. 

This  point  of  mark  was  a  luminous  brightness,  which  Nicholl 
sighted  suddenly,  on  the  limit  of  the  horizon  formed  by  the  black 
disc.  This  point  could  not  be  confounded  with  a  star.  It  was 
a  reddish  incandescence  which  increased  by  degrees,  a  decided 
proof  that  the  projectile  was  shifting  towards  it  and  not  falling 
normally  on  the  surface  of  the  moon. 

"A  volcano!  it  is  a  volcano  in  action!"  cried  Nicholl ;  "a 
disembowelling  of  the  interior  fires  of  the  moon  !  That  world  is 
not  quite  extinguished." 

"Yes,  an  eruption,"  replied  Barbicane,  who  was  carefully 
studying  the  phenomenon  through  his  night  glass.  "What  should 
it  be,  if  not  a  volcano  ?  " 

"  But,  then,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  "  in  order  to  maintain  that 
combustion,  there  must  be  air.  So  an  atmosphere  does  surround 
that  part  of  the  moon." 

"Per/2aj5S so," replied  Barbicane,  "but  not  necessarily.  The  vol- 
cano, by  the  decomposition  of  certain  substances,  can  provide  its 
own  oxygen,  and  thus  throw  flames  into  space.  It  seems  to  me 
that  the  deflagration,  by  tho  intense  brilliancy  of  tho  substances 


256  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


in  combustion,  is  produced  in  pure  oxygen.     We  must  not  be  in  a 
hurry  to  proclaim  the  existence  of  a  lunar  atmosphere." 

The  fiery  mountain  must  have  been  situated  about  the  45=' 
south  latitude  on  the  invisible  part  of  the  disc  ;  but,  to  Barbicane's 
great  displeasure,  the  curve  which  the  projectile  was  describing 
was  taking  it  far  from  the  point  indicated  by  the  eruption.  Thus 
he  could  not  determine  its  nature  exactly.  Half  an  hour  after 
being  sighted,  this  luminous  point  had  disappeared  behind  the 
dark  horizon  ;  but  the  verification  of  this  phenomenon  was  of 
considerable  consequence  in  their  selenographic  studies.  It  proved 
that  all  heat  had  not  yet  disappeared  from  the  bowels  of  this 
globe  ;  and  where  heat  exists,  who  can  affirm  that  the  vegetable 
kingdom,  nay,  even  the  animal  kingdom  itself,  has  not  up  to  this 
time  resisted  all  destructive  influences  ?  The  existence  of  this 
volcano  in  eruption,  unmistakably  seen  by  these  earthly  savants, 
would  doubtless  give  rise  to  many  theories  favourable  to  the  grave 
question  of  the  habitability  of  the  moon. 

Barbicane  allowed  himself  to  be  carried  away  by  these  reflec- 
tions. He  forgot  himself  in  a  deep  reverie  in  which  the  mys- 
terious destiny  of  the  lunar  world  was  uppermost.  He  was 
seeking  to  combine  together  the  facts  observed  up  to  that  time, 
when  a  new  incident  recalled  him  briskly  to  reality.  This 
incident  was  more  than  a  cosmical  phenomenon  ;  it  was  a 
threatened  danger,  the  consequences  of  which  might  be  disas- 
trous in  the  extreme. 

Suddenly,  in  the  midst  of  the  ether,  in  the  profound  darkness, 
an  enoimous  mass  appeared.  It  was  like  a  moon,  but  an  incan- 
descent moon,  whose  brilliancy  was  all  the  more  intolerable  as  it 
cut  sharply  on  the  frightful  darkness  of  space.  This  mass,  of  a 
circular  form,  threw  a  light  which  filled  the  projectile.  The 
forms  of  Barbicane,  NichoU,  and  Michel  Ardan,  bathed  in  its 
white  sheets,  assumed  that  livid  spectral  appearance  which 
physicians  produce  with  the  fictitious  light  of  alcohol  impregnated 
with  kult. 


A  PREY  TO  FRIGnTFUL  TERROR. 


[p.  267.] 


HYPERBOLA    OR   PARABOLA.  267 


*'  Bj  Jove  !"  cried  Michel  Ardan,  «  we  are  hideoua.  What  is 
that  ill-conditioned  moon  ?" 

"  A  meteor,"  replied  Barbicane. 

"  A  meteor  burning  in  space  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

This  shooting  globe  suddenly  appearing  in  shadow  at  a  distance 
of  at  most  200  miles,  ought,  according  to  Barbicane,  to  have  a 
diameter  of  2000  yards.  It  advanced  at  a  speed  of  about  one  mile 
and  a  half  per  second.  It  cut  the  projectile's  path,  and  must  reach 
it  in  some  minutes.  As  it  approached  it  grew  to  enormous 
proportions. 

Imagine,  if  possible,  the  situation  of  the  travellers  !  It  is 
impossible  to  describe  it.  In  spite  of  their  courage,  their  sang- 
froid, their  carelessness  of  danger,  they  were  mute,  motionless 
with  stiffened  limbs,  a  prey  to  frightful  ten-or.  Their  projectile, 
the  course  of  which  they  could  not  alter,  was  rushing  straight  on 
this  ignited  mass,  more  intense  than  the  open  mouth  of  an  oven. 
It  seemed  as  though  they  were  being  precipitated  towards  an  abyss 
of  fire. 

Barbicane  had  seized  the  hands  of  his  two  companions,  and  all 
three  looked  through  their  half-open  eyelids  upon  that  asteroid 
heated  to  a  white  heat.  If  thought  was  not  destroyed  within 
them,  if  their  brains  still  worked  amidst  all  this  awe,  they  must 
have  given  themselves  up  for  lost. 

Two  minutes  after  the  sudden  appearance  of  the  meteor  (to 
them  two  centuries  of  anguish)  the  projectile  seemed  almost  about 
to  strike  it,  when  the  globe  of  fire  burst  like  a  bomb,  but  without 
making  any  noise  in  that  void  where  sound,  which  is  but  the 
agitation  of  the  layers  of  air,  could  not  be  generated. 

Nicholl  uttered  a  cry,  and  he  and  his  companions  rushed  to  the 
scuttle.  What  a  sight  !  What  pen  can  describe  it  ?  What 
palette  is  rich  enough  in  colours  to  reproduce  so  magnificent  a 
spectacle  ? 

It  was  like  the  opening  of  a  crater,  like  the  scattering  of  an 


268  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


immense  conflnj^ration.  Thousands  of  luminous  fragments  lit  up 
and  irradiated  space  with  their  fires.  Every  size,  every  colour, 
uas  (here  intermingled.  There  were  rays  of  yellow  and  pale 
yellow,  red,  green,  grey — a  crown  of  fireworks  of  all  colours.  Of 
the  enormous  and  much-dreaded  globe  there  remained  nothing 
but  these  fragments  carried  in  all  directions,  uow  become  asteroids 
in  their  turn,  some  flaming  like  a  sword,  some  surrounded  by  a 
whitish  cloud,  and  others  leaving  behind  them  trains  of  brilliant 
cosmical  dust. 

Tiiese  incandescent  blocks  crossed  and  struck  each  other,  scat- 
tering still  smaller  fragments,  some  of  which  struck  the  projectile. 
Its  left  scuttle  was  even  cracked  by  a  violent  shock.  It  seemed 
to  be  floating  amidst  a  hail  of  howitzer  shells,  the  smallest  of 
which  might  destroy  it  instantly. 

The  light  which  saturated  the  ether  was  so  wonderfully  intense, 
that  Michel,  drawing  Barbicane  and  Nicholl  to  his  window, 
exclaimed,  "The  invisible  moon,  visible  at  last !" 

And  through  a  luminous  emanation,  which  lasted  some  seconds, 
the  whole  three  caught  a  glimpse  of  that  mysterious  disc  which 
the  eye  of  man  now  saw.  for  the  first  time.  What  could  they  dis- 
tinguish at  a  distance  which  they  could  not  estimate  ?  Some 
lengthened  bands  along  the  disc,  real  clouds  formed  in  the  midst 
of  a  very  confined  atmosphere,  from  which  emerged  not  only  all 
the  mountains,  but  also  projections  of  less  importance;  its  circles, 
its  yawning  craters,  as  capriciously  placed  as  on  the  visible  sur- 
face. Then  immense  spaces,  no  longer  arid  plains,  but  real  seas, 
oceans,  widely  distributed,  reflecting  on  their  liquid  surface  all  the 
dazzling  magic  of  the  fires  of  space  ;  and,  lastly,  on  the  surface  of 
the  continents,  large  dark  masses,  looking  like  immense  forests 
under  the  rapid  illumination  of  a  brilliance. 

Was  it  an  illusion,  a  mistake,  an  optical  illusion  ?  Could  they 
give  a  scientific  assent  to  an  observation  so  superficially  obtained  ? 
Dared  they  pronounce  upon  the  question  of  its  habitability  after 
6C  slight  a  glimpso  of  the  invisible  disc  ? 


WHAT  A  SIGUT. 


[p.  2m: 


HYPERBOLA    OR    PARABOLA.  269 

But  the  lightnings  ia  space  subsided  by  degrees  ;  its  accidental 
biillianey  died  away  ;  the  aslcioids  dispersed  iu  diHi  rent  direc- 
tions and  were  extinguished  in  the  distance.  The  ether  returned 
to  its  accustomed  darkness  ;  the  stars,  eclipsed  for  a  moiueut, 
again  twinkled  in  the  firmament,  and  the  disc,  bo  hastily  discerned, 
was  again  buried  in  impenetrable  night. 


.-O  ROUND    TH6  MOON. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE   SOUTHERX   HEMISPHERE. 

The  projectile  had  just  escaped  a  terrible  danger,  and  a  very 
unforeseen  one.  Who  would  have  thought  of  such  a  rencontre 
with  meteors  ?  These  erring  bodies  might  create  serious  perils 
for  the  travellers.  They  were  to  them  so  many  sandbanks  upon 
that  sea  of  ether  which,  less  fortunate  than  sailors,  they  could  not 
escape.  But  did  these  adventurers  complain  of  space  ?  No,  not 
since  nature  had  given  them  the  splendid  sight  of  a  cosmical 
meteor  bursting  from  expansion,  since  this  inimitable  firework, 
which  no  Ruggieri  could  imitate,  had  lit  up  for  some  seconds  the 
invisible  glory  of  the  moon.  In  that  flash,  continents,  seas,  and 
forests  had  become  visible  to  them.  Did  an  atmosphere,  then, 
bring  to  this  unknown  face  its  life-giving  atoms  ?  Questions  still 
insoluble,  and  for  ever  closed  against  human  curiosity  ! 

It  was  then  half  past  three  in  the  afternoon.  The  projectile 
was  following  its  curvilinear  direction  round  the  mooii.  Had  its 
course  been  again  altered  by  the  meteor?  It  was  to  be  feared  so. 
But  the  projectile  must  describe  a  curve  unalterably  detei-mined 
by  the  laws  of  mechanical  reasoning.  Barbicane  was  inclined  to 
believe  that  this  curve  would  be  rather  a  parabola  than  a  hyper- 
bola. But  admitting  the  parabola,  the  projectile  must  quickly 
have  passed  through  the  cone  of  shadow  projected  into  space 
opposite  the  sun.  This  cone,  indeed,  is  very  narrow,  the  angular 
diameter  of  the  moon  being  so  little  when  compared  with  the 
diameter  of  the  orb  of  day  ;  and  up  to  this  time  the  projectile 
had  been  floating  in  this  deep  shadow.     Whatever  had  been  its 


'THE  SUN!" 


[p.  271.1 


THE   SOUTHERN  HEMISPHERE.  27  I 


speed  (and  it  could  not  have  beeu  insignificant)  its  period  of 
occultation  continued.  That  ivas  evident,  but  perhaps  that  would 
not  have  been  the  case  in  a  supposed  rigidly  parabolical  trajectory, 
— a  new  problem  which  tormented  Barbicane's  brain,  imprisoned 
as  he  was  in  a  circle  of  unknowns  which  he  couhl  not  unravel. 

Neither  of  the  travellers  thought  of  taking  an  instant's  repose. 
Each  one  watched  for  an  unexpected  fact,  which  might  throw 
some  new  light  on  their  uranographic  studies.  About  five  o'clock, 
Michel  Ardan  distributed,  under  the  name  of  dinner,  some  pieces 
of  bread  and  cold  meat,  which  were  quickly  swallowed  without 
either  of  them  abandoning  their  scuttle,  the  glass  of  which  was 
incessantly  encrusted  by  the  condensation  of  vapour. 

About  forty-five  minutes  past  five  in  the  evening,  Nicholl, 
armed  with  his  glass,  sighted  towards  the  southern  border  of  the 
moon,  and  in  the  direction  followed  by  the  projectile,  some  bright 
points  cut  upon  the  dark  shield  of  the  sky.  They  looked  like  a 
succession  of  sharp  points  lengthened  into  a  tremulous  line:-  They 
were  very  bright.  Such  appeared  the  terminal  line  of  the  moon 
when  in  one  of  her  octants. 

They  could  not  be  mistaken.  It  was  no  longer  a  simple  meteor. 
This  luminous  ridge  had  neither  colour  nor  motion.  Nor  was  it  a 
volcano  in  eruption.  And  Barbicane  did  not  hesitate  to  pronounce 
upon  it. 

"  The  sun  !"  he  exclaimed. 

"  What  !  the  sun  ?  "  answered  Nicholl  and  Michel  Aitlan. 

"  Yes,  my  friends,  it  is  the  radiant  orb  itself  lighting  up  the 
summit  of  the  mountains  situated  on  the  southern  borders  of  the 
moon.     We  are  evidently  nearing  the  south  pole." 

"  After  having  passed  the  north  pole,"  replied  Michel.  "  We 
have  made  the  circuit  of  our  satellite,  then  ?" 

*'  Yes,  my  good  Michel." 

"  Then,  no  more  hyperbolas,  no  more  parabolas,  no  more  open 
curves  to  fear  ?" 

"  No,  but  a  closed  curve." 


,7-.  ROUND    THE   MOON: 


«  Which  is  called—" 

"  Au  ellipse.  Instead  of  losing  itself  in  interplanetary  space,  it 
is  probable  that  tho  projectile  will  describe  au  elliptical  orbit 
around  the  moon." 

"Indeed!" 

"  And  that  it  will  become  Iter  satellite." 

"  Moon  of  the  moon  ! "  cried  Michel  Ardan. 

"  Only,  I  would  have  you  observe,  my  worthy  friend,"  replied 
Barbicane,  "  that  we  are  none  the  less  lost  for  that." 

"  Yes,  in  another  manner,  and  much  more  pleasantly,"  answered 
the  careless  Frenchman  with  his  most  amiable  smile. 


'  LIGHT  AND  HEAT ;  ALL  LIFE  IS  CONTAINED  IN  THEM." 


[p.  273.] 


i 


TVCHO. 


273 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

TTCHO. 

At  six  in  the  evening  tlie  projectile  passe  the  south  pole  at  less 
than  forty  miles  off,  a  distance  equal  to  that  already  reached  at  the 
uoi'th  pole.     The  elliptical  curve  was  being  rigidly  carried  out. 

At  this  moment  the  travellers  once  more  entered  the  blessed 
rays  of  the  sun.  They  saw  once  more  those  stars  which  move 
slowly  from  east  to  west.  The  radiant  orb  was  saluted  by  a 
triple  hurrah.  With  its  light  it  also  sent  heat,  which  soon 
pierced  the  metal  walls.  The  glass  resumed  its  accustomed 
appearance.  The  layers  of  ice  melted  as  if  by  enchantment ; 
and  immediately,  for  economy's  sake,  the  gas  was  put  out,  the  air 
apparatus  alone  consuming  its  usual  quantity. 

"  Ah !"  said  Nicholl,  "  these  rays  of  heat  are  good.  "With  what 
impatience  must  the  Selenites  wait  the  reappearance  of  the  orb 
of  day." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Michel  Ardan,  "imbibing  as  it  were  the  brilliant 
ether,  light  and  heat,  all  life  is  contained  in  tlieiii." 

At  this  moment  the  bottom  of  the  projectile  deviated  somewhat 
from  the  lunar  surface,  in  order  to  follow  the  slightly  lengthened 
elliptical  orbit.  From  this  point,  had  the  earth  been  at  the  full, 
Barbicane  and  his  companions  could  have  seen  it,  but  immersed 
in  the  sun's  irradiation  she  was  quite  invisible.  Another  spectacle 
attracted  their  attention,  that  of  the  southern  part  of  the  moon, 
brought  by  the  glasses  to  within  450  yards.  They  did  not  again 
leave  the  scuttles,  and  noted  every  detail  of  this  fantastical 
continent. 

T 


2^4  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


Mounts  Docrfcl  and  Leibnitz  formed  two  separate  groups  very 
near  the  south  pole.  The  first  group  extended  from  the  pole  to 
the  eighty-fourth  parallel,  on  the  eastern  part  of  the  orb;  the 
second  occupied  the  eastern  border,  extending  from  the  65°  of 

latitude  to  the  pole. 

On  their  capriciously  formed  ridge  appeared  dazzling  sheets,  as 
n.cntioncd  by  Pere  Secchi.  With  more  certainty  than  the  illus- 
trious Roman  astronomer,  Barbicane  was  enabled  to  recognize  their 

nature. 

"  They  are  snow,"  he  exclaimed. 
"  Snow?"  repeated  NichoU. 

"  Yes,  Nicholl,  snow ;  the  surface  of  which  is  deeply  frozen. 
See  how  they  reflect  the  luminous  rays.  Cooled  lava  would 
never  give  out  such  intense  reflection.  There  must  then  be 
water,  there  must  be  air  on  the  moon.  As  little  as  you  please, 
but  the  fact  can  no  longer  be  contested."  No,  it  could  not  be. 
And  if  ever  Barbicane  should  see  the  earth  again,  his  notes  will 
bear  witness  to  this  great  fact  in  his  selenographic  observations.  J 

These  mountains  of  Doerfel  and  Leibnitz  rose  in  the  midst  of  I 
plains  of  a  medium  extent,  which  were  bounded  by  an  indefinite 
succession  of  circles  and  annular  ramparts.  These  two  chains 
arc  the  only  ones  met  with  in  this  region  of  circles.  Compara- 
tively but  slightly  marked,  they  throw  up  here  and  there  some 
sharp  points,  the  highest  summit  of  which  attains  an  altitude  of 
24,G00  feet. 

But  the  projectile  was  high  above  all  this  landscape,  and  the 
projections  disappeared  in  the  intense  brilliancy  of  the  disc.  And 
to  the  eyes  of  the  travellers  there  reappeared  that  original  aspect 
of  the  lunar  landscapes,  raw  in  tone,  without  gradation  of  colours, 
and  without  degrees  of  shadow,  roughly  black  and  white,  from 
the  want  of  diff"usion  of  light. 

But  the  sight  of  this  desolate  world  did  not  fail  to  captivate 
them  by  its  very  strangeness.  They  were  nio^'ing  over  this 
region  as  if  they  had  been  borne  on  the  breath  of  some  stonn, 


HE  DISTINGUISHED  ALL  THIS 


[p.  275.] 


TVCHO.  275 

watching  heights  defile  under  their  feet,  piercing  the  cavities  with 
their  eyes,  going  down  into  the  rifts,  climbing  the  ramparts, 
sounding  these  mysterious  holes,  and  levelling  all  cracks.  But 
no  trace  of  vegetation,  no  appeai'ance  of  cities  ;  nothing  but 
stratification,  beds  of  lava,  overflowings  polished  like  immense 
mirrors,  reflecting  the  sun's  rays  with  overpowering  brilliancy. 
Nothing  belonging  to  a  living  world — everything  to  a  dead 
world,  where  avalanches,  rolling  from  the  summits  of  the  moun- 
tains, would  disperse  noiselessly  at  the  bottom  of  the  abyss, 
retaining  the  motion,  but  wanting  the  sound.  In  any  case  it 
was  the  image  of  death,  without  its  being  possible  even  to  say 
that  life  had  ever  existed  there. 

Michel  Ardan,    however,    thought  he  recognized   a   heap  of 
ruins,  to  which  he  drew  Barbicane's  attention.     It  was  about  the 
80th  parallel,  in  30°  longitude.      This  heap  of  stones,  rathej:^, 
regularly  placed,  represented  a  vast  fortress,  overlooking  a  long 
rift,  which  in  former  days  had  served  as  a  bed  to  the  rivers  of 
prehistorical    times.      Not  far  from   that,  rose    to    a   height   of 
17,400  feet  the  annular  mountain  of  Short,  equal  to  the  Asiatic 
Caucasus.     Michel  Ardan,  Avith    his  accustomed    ardour,  main- 
tained "  the  evidences  "  of  his  fortress.     Beneath  it  he  discerned 
the   dismantled   ramparts  of  a  town  ;  here   the  still  intact  arch 
of  a  portico,  there  two  or  three  columns  lying  under  their  base  ; 
farther  on,  a  succession  of  arches  which  must  have  supported  the 
conduit  of  an  aqueduct  ;  in  anotlier  part  the  sunken  pillars  of 
a  gigantic  bridge,  run  into  the  thickest  parts   of  the  rift.     He 
distinguished    all   this,    but  with    so   much    imagination    in   his 
glance,  and  through  glasses  so  fantastical,  that  we  must  mistrust 
his  observation.     But  who  could  aflirm,  who  would  dare  to  say, 
that  the  amiable  fellow  did  not  really  see  that  which  his  two 
companions  would  not  see  ? 

Moments  were  too  precious  to  be  sacrificed  in  idle  discussion. 
The  Selenite  city,  whether  imaginary  or  not,  had  already  dis- 
appeared afar  off.     The  distance  of  the  projectile  from  tha  lunar 

T  2 


ij(y  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


disc  was  ou  Ihe  iucrcase,  and  the  details  of  the  soil  were  being 
lost  ill  a  confused  jumble.  The  reliefs,  the  circles,  the  craters 
and  plains  alone  remained,  and  still  showed  their  boundary- 
lines  distinctly.  At  this  moment,  to  the  left,  lay  extended  one 
of  the  finest  circles  of  lunar  orography,  one  of  the  curiosities  of 
this  continent.  It  was  Newton,  Avhich  Barbicane  recognized 
without  trouble,  by  referring  to  the  Mappa  Sdenograpliica, 

Newton  is  situated  in  exactly  77°  south  lat.,  and  16°  east  long. 
It  forms  an  annular  crater,  the  ramparts  of  which,  rising  to  a 
height  of  21,300  feet,  seemed  to  be  impassable. 

Barbicane  made  his  companions  observe  that  the  height  of  this 
mountain  above  the  surrounding  plain  was  far  from  equalling  the 
depth  of  its  crater.  This  enormous  hole  was  beyond  all  measure- 
ment, and  formed  a  gloomy  abyss,  the  bottom  of  which  the  sun's 
rays  could  never  i*each.  There,  according  to  Humboldt,  reigns 
utter  darkness,  which  the  light  of  the  sun  and  the  earth  cannot 
break.     Mythologists  could  well  have  made  it  the  mouth  of  hell. 

"  Newton,"  said  Barbicane,  "  is  the  most  perfect  type  of  these 
annular  mountains,  of  which  the  earth  possesses  no  sample.  They 
prove  that  the  moon's  formation,  by  means  of  cooling,  is  due  to 
violent  causes;  for  whilst  under  the  pressure  of  internal  fires  the 
reliefs  rise  to  considerable  height,  the  depths  withdraw  far  below 
the  lunar  level." 

"  I  do  not  dispute  the  fact,"  replied  Michel  Ardan. 

Some  minutes  after  passing  Newton,  the  projectile  directly 
overlooked  the  annular  mountain  of  Moret.  It  skirted  at  some 
distance  the  summits  of  Blancanus,  and  at  about  half-past  seven 
in  the  evening  reached  the  circle  of  Clavius. 

This  circle,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  disc,  is  situated 
in  58°  south  lat.,  and  15°  east  long.  Its  height  is  estimated 
at  22,950  feet.  The  travellers,  at  a  distance  of  twenty-four 
miles  (reduced  to  four  by  their  glasses),  could  admire  this  vast 
crater  in  its  entirety. 

"  Terrestrial  volcanoes,"  said  Barbicane,   "  are   but   molehills 


^ 


CAN  YUU  riCTUKC  TO  YOURSELVES  ? 


[p.  277.] 


TYCHO.  '  277 

compared  with  those  of  the  moon.  Measuring  the  old  craters 
formed  by  the  fiist  eruptions  of  Vesuvius  aud  Etna,  we  find  tliem 
little  more  than  three  miles  in  breadth.  In  France  the  circle  of 
Cantal  measures  six  miles  across  ;  at  Ceyland  the  circle  of  the 
island  is  forty  miles,  which  is  considered  the  largest  on  the  globe. 
What  are  these  diameters  against  that  of  Clavius,  which  we  over- 
look at  this  moment  ?  " 

"  What  is  its  breadth  ?  "  asked  NichoU. 

"It  is  150  miles,"  replied  Barbicaue.  "This  circle  is  certainly 
the  most  important  on  the  moon,  but  many  others  measure 
150,  100,  or  75  miles." 

"  Ah !  my  friends,"  exclaimed  Michel,  "  can  you  picture  to 
yourselves  what  this  now  peaceful  orb  of  night  must  have  been 
when  its  craters,  filled  with  thunderings,  vomited  at  the  same 
time  smoke  and  tongues  of  flame.  What  a  wonderful  spectacle 
then,  and  now  what  decay !  This  moon  is  nothing  more  than  a 
thin  carcase  of  fireworks,  whose  squibs,  rockets,  serpents  and 
suus,  after  a  superb  brilliancy,  have  left  but  sadly  broken  cases. 
Who  can  say  the  cause,  the  reason,  the  motive  force  of  these 
cataclysms  ?" 

Barbicaue  was  not  listening  to  Michel  Ardan ;  he  was  contem- 
plating those  ramparts  of  Clavius,  formed  by  large  mountains 
spread  over  several  miles.  At  the  bottom  of  the  immense  cavity 
burrowed  hundreds  of  small  extinguished  craters,  riddling  the 
soil  like  a  colander,  and  overlooked  by  a  peak  15,000  feet  high. 

Around,  the  plain  appeared  desolate.  Nothing  so  arid  as  these 
reliefs,  nothing  so  sad  as  these  ruins  of  mountains,  and  (if 
we  may  so  express  ourselves)  these  fragments  of  peaks  and 
mountains  which  strewed  the  soil.  The  satellite  seemed  to  have 
burst  at  this  spot. 

The  projectile  was  still  advancing,  and  this  movement  did  not 
subside.  Circles,  craters,  and  uprooted  mountains  succeeded  each 
other  incessantly.  No  more  plains;  no  more  seas.  A  never- 
ending  Switzerland  and  Norway.     And  lastly,  in  the  centre  of 


2_3  KOUXD    THE   MOOfT. 


this  region  of  crevasses,  the  most  splendid  mountain  on  the  lunar 
disc,  the  dazzling  Tycho,  in  which  posterity  will  ever  preserve 
the  name  of  the  illustrious  Danish  astronomer. 

In  ohscrving  the  full  moon  in  a  cloudless  sky  no  one  has 
failed  to  remark  this  brilliant  point  of  the  southern  hemisphere. 
]\Iichcl  Ardan  used  every  metaphor  that  his  imagination  could 
supply  to  designate  it  by.  To  him  this  Tycho  was  a  focus  of 
light,  a  centre  of  irradiation,  a  crater  vomiting  rays.  It  was  the 
tire  of  a  brilliant  wheel,  an  asUria  enclosing  the  disc  with  its 
silver  tentacles,  an  enormous  eye  filled  with  flames,  a  glory  carved 
for  Pluto's  head,  a  star  launched  by  the  Creator's  hand,  and 
crushed  against  the  face  of  the  moon  ! 

Tycho  forms  such  a  concentration  of  light  that  the  inhabitants 
of  the  earth  can  see  it  without  glasses,  though  at  a  distance  of 
240,000  miles  !  Imagine,  then,  its  intensity  to  the  eye  of 
observers  placed  at  a  distance  of  only  fifty  miles  !  Seen  through 
this  pure  ether,  its  brilliancy  was  so  intolerable  that  Barbicane 
and  his  friends  were  obliged  to  blacken  their  glasses  with  the  gas 
smoke  before  they  could  bear  the  splendour.  Then  silent, 
scarcely  uttering  an  interjection  of  admiration,  they  gazed,  they 
contemplated.  All  their  feelings,  all  their  impressions,  were  con- 
centrated in  that  look,  as  under  any  violent  emotion  all  life  is 
concentrated  at  the  heart. 

Tycho  belongs  to  the  system  of  radiating  mountains,  like  Aris- 
tarchus  and  Copernicus  ;  but  it  is  of  all  the  most  complete  and 
decided,  showing  unquestionably  the  frightful  volcanic  action  to 
which  the  formation  of  the  moon  is  due.  Tycho  is  situated  in 
43°  south  lat.,  and  12°  east  long.  Its  centre  is  occupied  by  a 
crater  fifty  miles  broad.  It  assumes  a  slightly  elliptical  form,  and 
is  surrounded  by  an  enclosure  of  annular  ramparts,  which  on  the 
east  and  west  overlook  the  outer  plain  from  a  height  of  15,000  feet. 
It  is  a  group  of  Mont  Blancs,  placed  round  one  common  centre, 
and  crowned  by  radiating  beams. 

What  this  incomparable  mountain  really  is,  with  all  the  projec- 


TYCITO. 


279 


tions  converging  towards  it,  and  the  interior  excrescences  of  its 
crater,  photography  itself  could  never  represent.  Indeed,  it  is 
during  the  full  moon  that  Tjcho  is  seen  in  all  its  splendour. 
Then  all  shadows  disappear,  the  foreshortening  of  perspective 
disappears,  and  all  proofs  become  white — a  disagreeable  fact ;  for 
this  strange  region  would  have  been  marvellous  if  reproduced 
with  photographic  exactness.  It  is  but  a  group  of  hollows, 
craters,  circles,  a  network  of  crests  ;  then,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
see,  a  whole  volcanic  network  cast  upon  this  encrusted  soil.  One 
can  then  understand  that  the  bubbles  of  this  central  eruption  have 
kept  their  first  form.  Crystallized  by  cooling,  they  have  stereo- 
typed that  aspect  which  the  moon  formerly  presented  when  under 
the  Plutonian  forces. 

The  distance  which  separated  the  travellers  from  the  annular 
summits  of  Tycho  was  not  so  great  but  that  they  could  catch  the 
principal  details.  Even  on  the  causeway  forming  the  fortifications 
of  Tycho,  the  mountains  hanging  on  to  the  interior  and  exterior 
sloping  flanks  rose  in  stories  like  gigantic  terraces.  They  ap- 
peared to  be  higher  by  300  or  400  feet  to  the  west  than  to  the 
east.  No  system  of  teiTestrial  encampment  could  equal  these 
natural  fortifications.  A  town  built  at  the  bottom  of  this  circular 
cavity  would  have  been  utterly  inaccessible. 

Inaccessible  and  wonderfully  extended  over  this  soil  covered 
with  picturesque  projections  !  Indeed,  nature  had  not  left  the 
bottom  of  this  crater  flat  and  empty.  It  possessed  its  own 
peculiar  orography,  a  mountainous  system,  making  it  a  world 
in  itself.  The  travellers  could  distinguish  clearly  cones,  cen- 
tral hills,  remarkable  positions  of  the  soil,  naturally  placed  to 
receive  the  chefs- d'ceuvre  of  Seleuite  architecture.  There  was 
marked  out  the  place  for  a  temple,  here  the  ground  of  a  forum,  on 
this  spot  the  plan  of  a  palace,  in  another  the  plateau  for  a 
citadel;  the  whole  overlooked  by  a  central  mountain  of  1500  feet. 
A  vast  circle,  in  which  ancient  Rome  could  have  been  held  in  its 
entirety  ten  times  over. 


2 So  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


"All!"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan,  euthusiastic  at  the  sifht ; 
"  what  a  grand  town  might  be  constructed  within  that  riuc 
of  mountains  !  A  quiet  city,  a  peaceful  refuge,  beyond  all  human 
misery.  IIow  calm  and  isolated  those  misanthropes,  those 
haters  of  humanity  might  live  there,  and  all  who  have  a  distaste 
for  social  life!" 

"  All !  It  would  be  too  small  for  them,"  replied  Barbicane 
simply. 


CRAVE    QUESTIONS.  28 1 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

GRAVE   QUESTIONS. 

But  the  projectile  had  passed  the  enceinte  of  Tycho,  and 
Bai'bicane  and  his  two  companions  Avatched  with  scrupulous 
attention  the  brilliant  rays  which  the  celebrated  mountain  shed 
so  curiously  all  over  the  horizon. 

What  was  this  radiant  glory  ?  What  geological  phenomenon 
had  designed  these  ardent  beams  ?  This  question  occupied 
Barbicane's  mind. 

Under  his  eyes  ran  in  all  directions  luminous  furrows,  raised  at 
the  edges  and  concave  in  the  centre,  some  twelve  miles,  others 
thirty  miles  broad.  These  brilliant  trains  extended  in  some  places 
to  within  600  miles  of  Tycho,  and  seemed  to  cover,  particularly 
towards  the  east,  the  north-east  and  the  north,  the  half  of  the 
southern  hemisphere.  One  of  these  jets  extended  as  far  as  the 
circle  of  Neander,  situated  on  the  40th  meridian.  Another  by  a 
flight  curve  furrowed  the  Sea  of  Nectar,  breaking  against  the 
chain  of  Pyrenees,  after  a  circuit  of  800  miles.  Others,  towards 
the  west,  covered  the  Sea  of  Clouds  and  the  Sea  of  Humours  with 
a  luminous  network.  What  was  the  origin  of  these  sparkling 
rays,  which  shone  on  the  plains  as  well  as  on  the  reliefs,  at  what- 
ever height  they  might  be  ?  All  started  from  a  common  centre, 
the  crater  of  Tycho.  They  sprang  from  him.  Herschel  attri- 
buted their  brilliancy  to  currents  of  lava  congealed  by  the  cold ; 
an  opinion,  however,  which  has  not  been  generally  adopted.  Other 
astronomers  have  seen  in  these  inexplicable  rays  a  kind  of  moraines, 


j82  round  the  moon: 


rows  of  erratic  blocks,  •which  had  been  thrown  up  at  the  period  of 
Tycho's  formation. 

"And  why  not  ?"  asked  NichoU  of  Barbicane,  who  was  relating 
and  rejecting  these  difTerent  opinions. 

"  Because  the  regularity  of  these  luminous  lines,  and  the  violence 
necessary  to  carry  volcanic  matter  to  such  distances,  is  inex- 
plical)le." 

"  Eh  !  by  Jove  !"  replied  Michel  Ardan,  "  it  seems  easy  enough 
to  mc  to  explain  the  origin  of  these  rays." 

"  Indeed  ?"  said  Barbicane. 

"  Indeed,"  continued  Michel.  "  It  is  enough  to  say  that  it  is  a 
vast  star,  similar  to  that  produced  by  a  ball  or  a  stone  thrown  at  a 
square  of  glass  !" 

"Well  !"  replied  Barbicane,  smiling.  "And  what  hand  would 
be  powerful  enough  to  throw  a  ball  to  give  such  a  shock  as  that  ?" 

"  The  hand  is  not  necessary,"  answered  Nicholl,  not  at  all  con- 
founded ;  "and  as  to  the  stone,  let  us  suppose  it  to  be  a  comet." 

"Ah!  those  much-abused  comets!"  exclaimed  Barbicane, 
"My  brave  Michel,  your  explanation  is  not  bad  ;  but  your  comet 
is  useless.  The  shock  which  produced  that  rent  must  have  come 
from  the  inside  of  the  star.  A  violent  contraction  of  the  lunar 
crust,  while  cooling,  might  suffice  to  imprint  this  gigantic  star." 

"  A  contraction  !  something  like  a  lunar  stomach-ache,"  said 
Michel  Ardan. 

"Besides,"  added  Barbicane,  "this  opinion  is  that  of  an  English 
savant,  Nasmyth,  and  it  seems  to  me  to  sufficiently  explain  the 
radiation  of  these  mountains." 

"That  Nasmyth  was  no  fool !"  replied  Michel. 

Long  did  the  travellers,  whom  such  a  sight  could  never  weary, 
admire  the  splendours  of  Tycho.  Their  projectile,  saturated  with 
luminous  gleams  in  the  double  irradiation  of  sun  and  moon,  must 
have  appeared  like  an  incandescent  globe.  They  had  passed 
suddenly  from  excessive  cold  to  intense  heat.  Nature  was  thus 
preparing  them  to  become   Selenitcs.     Become   Selenites  !     That 


A  VIOLENT  CONTRACTION  OP  THE  LUNAR  CRUST. 


[p.  282.] 


GRAVE  QUESTIONS.  283 


idea  brought  up  once  more  the  question  of  the  habitahility  of  tho 
moon.  After  Avliat  they  had  seen,  could  the  travellers  solve  it  ? 
Would  they  decide  for  or  against  it  ?  Michel  Ardan  persuaded 
liis  two  friends  to  form  an  opinion,  and  asked  them  directly  if 
they  thought  that  men  and  animals  were  repi-esentcd  in  the  lunar 
world. 

"I  think  that  we  can  answer,"  said  Barbicano  ;  "but  according 
to  my  idea  the  question  ought  not  to  be  put  in  that  form.  I  ask 
it  to  be  put  diflPerently." 

"  Put  it  your  own  way,"  replied  Michel. 

"  Here  it  is,"  continued  Barbicane.  "  The  problem  is  a  double 
one,  and  requires  a  double  solution.  Is  the  moon  habitable?  Ha3 
the  moon  ever  been  inhabited  7''^ 

"  Good  !  "  replied  Nicholl.  '•  First  let  us  see  whether  the  moon 
is  habitable." 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  I  know  nothing  about  it,"  answered 
Micliel. 

*'  And  I  answer  in  the  negative,"  continued  Barbicane.  "  In 
her  actual  state,  with  her  surrounding  atmosphere  certainly  very 
much  reduced,  her  seas  for  the  most  part  dried  up,  her  insufficient 
supply  of  water  restricted,  vegetation,  sudden  alterations  of  cold 
and  heat,  her  days  and  nights  of  354  hours;  the  moon  does  not 
seem  habitable  to  me,  nor  does  she  seem  propitious  to  animal 
development,  nor  sufficient  for  the  wants  of  existence  as  we 
understand  it." 

"Agreed,"  replied  Nicholl.  "But  is  not  the  moon  habitable 
for  creatures  differently  organized  from  ourselves  ?  " 

"  That  question  is  more  difficult  to  answer,  but  I  will  try  ; 
and  I  ask  Nicholl  if  motion  appears  to  him  to  be  a  necessary 
result  of  life,  whatever  be  its  organization  ?  " 

"  Without  a  doubt  !  "  answered  Nicholl. 

"  Then,  my  worthy  companion,  I  would  answer  that  we  have 
observed  the  lunar  continent  at  a  distance  of  500  yards  at  most, 
and  that  nothing  seemed  to   us  to  move  on  the  moon's  surface. 


384 


ROUND    THE  MOON. 


The  presence  of  any  kind  of  life  would  liave  been  betrayed  by 
ita  attendant  marks,  such  as  divers  buildings,  and  even  by  ruins. 
And  what  have  we  seen  ?  Everywhere  and  always  the  geological 
works  of  nature,  never  the  work  of  man.  If,  then,  there  exist 
representatives  of  the  animal  kingdom  on  the  moon,  they  must 
liave  fled  to  those  unfathomable  cavities  which  the  eye  cannot 
reach  ;  which  I  cannot  admit,  for  they  must  have  left  traces  of 
their  passage  on  those  plains  which  the  atmosphere  must  cover, 
however  slightly  raised  it  may  be.  These  traces  are  nowhere 
visible.  There  remains  but  one  hypothesis,  that  of  a  living  race 
to  which  motion,  which  is  life,  is  foreign." 

"  One  might  as  well  say,  living  creatures  which  do  not  live," 
replied  Michel. 

"Just  so,"  said  Barbicane,  "which  for  us  has  no  meaning." 

"  Then  we  may  form  our  opinion  ?  "  said  Michel. 

"  Yes,"  replied  NichoU. 

"  Veiy  well,"  continued  Michel  Ardan,  "  the  Scientific  Com- 
mission assembled  in  the  projectile  of  the  Gun  Club,  after  having 
founded  their  argument  on  facts  recently  observed,  decide 
unanimously  upon  the  question  of  the  habitabilitj  of  the  moon — 
*  No  I  the  moon  is  not  habitable.'  " 

This  decision  was  consigned  by  President  Barbicane  to  his  note- 
book, where  the  process  of  the  sitting  of  the  6th  of  December 
may  be  seen. 

"  Now,"  said  Nicholl,  "  let  us  attack  the  second  question,  an 
indispensable  complement  of  the  first.  I  ask  the  honourable 
Commission,  if  the  moon  is  not  habitable,  has  she  ever  been  in- 
liabited,  Citizen-Barbicane  ?  " 

"  My  friends,"  replied  Barbicane,  "  I  did  not  undertake  this 
journey  in  order  to  form  an  opinion  on  the  past  habitability  of  our 
satellite  ;  but  I  will  add  that  our  personal  observations  only  con- 
firm me  in  this  opinion.  I  believe,  indeed  I  affirm,  that  the  moon 
has  been  inhabited  by  a  human  race  organized  like  our  own  ;  that 
ehe  has  produced  animals  anatomically  formed  like  the  terrestrial 


CRAVE  QUESTIONS.  285 


animals  ;  but  I  add  that  these  races,  human   or  animal,  have  Jiad 
their  day,  and  are  now  for  ever  extinct  !  " 

"  Then,"  asked  Michel,  "  the  moon  must  be  older  than  the 
earth  ?  " 

"No!"  said  Barbicane  decidedly,  "but  a  world  which  lins 
grown  old  quicker,  and  whose  formation  and  deformation  have 
been  more  rapid.  Relatively,  the  organizing  force  of  matter  has 
been  much  more  violent  in  the  interior  of  the  moon  than  in  the 
interior  of  the  terrestrial  globe.  The  actual  state  of  this  cracked, 
twisted,  and  burst  disc  abundantly  proves  this.  The  moon  and 
the  earth  were  nothing  but  gaseous  masses  originally.  These 
gases  have  passed  into  a  liquid  state  under  different  influences 
and  the  solid  masses  have  been  formed  later.  But  most  certainly 
our  sphere  was  still  gaseous  or  liquid,  when  the  moon  was 
solidified  by  cooling,  and  had  become  habitable." 

"  I  believe  it,"  said  Nicholl. 

"  Then,"  continued  Barbicane,  "  an  atmosphere  surrounded  it 
the  w^aters  contained  within  tliis  gaseous  envelope  could  not 
evaporate.  Under  the  influence  of  air,  water,  light,  solar  heat, 
and  central  heat,  vegetation  took  possession  of  the  continents 
prepared  to  receive  it,  and  certainly  life  showed  itself  about  this 
period,  for  nature  does  not  expend  herself  in  vain  ;  and  a  world 
60  wonderfully  formed  for  habitation  must  necessarily  bo  in- 
habited. 

"But,"  said  Nicholl,  "many  phenomena  inherent  in  our 
satellite  might  cramp  the  expansion  of  the  animal  and  vegetable 
kingdom.     For  example,  its  days  and  nights  of  354  honrs  ?" 

"At  the  terrestrial  poles  they  last  six  months,"  said  Michel. 

"An  argument  of  little  value,  since  the  poles  are  not  in- 
habited." 

"  Let  us  observe,  my  friends,"  continued  Barbicane,  "  that  if 
in  the  actual  state  of  the  moon  its  long  nights  aud  long  days  created 
diflerences  of  temperature  insupportable  to  organization,  it  was 
not  so  at  the  historical  period  of  time.  The  atmosphere  enveloped 


2S6 


ROUND    THE  MOOJ^. 


the  disc  with  a  fluid  mantlo  ;  vapour  deposited  itself  in  the  shape 
of  clouds  ;  this  natural  screen  tempered  the  ardour  of  the  solar 
rays,  and  retained  the  nocturnal  radiation.  Light,  like  heat,  can 
diffuse  itself  in  the  air  ;  hence  an  equality  between  the  influences 
which  no  longer  exists,  now  that  that  atmosphere  has  almost 
entirely    dii-appeared.       And    now    I    am    going    to    astonish 

you." 

"  Astonish  us  ?  "  said  Michel  Ardan. 

"  I  firmly  believe  that  at  the  period  when  the  moon  was  in- 
habited, the  nights  and  days  did  not  last  354  hours  !  " 

"  And  why  ?  "  asked  NichoU  quickly. 

"  Because  most  probably  then  the  rotary  motion  of  the  moon 
upon  her  axis  was  not  equal  to  her  revolution,  an  equality  which 
presents  each  part  of  her  disc  during  fifteen  days  to  the  action 
of  the  solar  rays." 

"  Granted,"  replied  Nicholl,  "  but  why  should  not  these  two 
motions  have  been  equal,  as  they  are  really  so  ?  " 

**  Because  that  equality  has  only  been  determined  by  terrestrial 
attraction.  And  who  can  say  that  this  attraction  was  powerful 
enouMi  to  alter  the  motion  of  the  moon  at  that  period  when  the 
earth  was  still  fluid  ?  " 

"Just  so,"  replied  Nicholl;'  "and  who  can  say  that  the  moon 
has  always  been  a  satellite  of  the  earth  ?  " 

"And  who  can  say,"  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan,  "  that  the  moon 
did  not  exist  before  the  earth  ?  " 

Their  imaginations  carried  them  away  into  an  indefinite  field  of 
hypothesis.     Barbicane  sought  to  restrain  them. 

"Those  speculations  are  too  high,"  said  he;  "problems  utterly 
insoluble.  Do  not  let  us  enter  upon  them.  Let  us  only  ad- 
mit the  insufficiency  of  the  primordial  attraction;  and  then  by 
the  inequality  of  the  two  motions  of  rotation  and  revolution,  the 
days  and  nights  could  have  succeeded  each  other  on  the  moon  as 
they  succeed  each  other  on  the  earth.  Besides,  even  without 
these  conditions,  life  was  possible." 


GRAVE   QUESTIONS.  2S7 


"And  so,"  asked  Micliel  Ardan,"humauity  has  disappeared 
from  the  inoou  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  Barbicaue,  "  after  Laving  doubtless  remained 
persistently  for  millions  of  centuries  ;  by  degrees  the  atmospheio 
becoming  rarefied,  the  disc  became  uninhabitable,  as  the  terrestrial 
globe  will  one  day  become  by  cooling." 

"  By  cooling  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Barbicane  ;  "  as  the  internal  fires  becamo 
extinguished,  and  the  incandescent  matter  concentrated  itself,  tho 
lunar  crust  cooled.  By  degrees  the  consequences  of  these  pheno- 
mena showed  themselves  in  the  disappearance  of  organized  beiiifs, 
and  by  the  disappearance  of  vegetation.  Soon  the  atmosphere  was 
rarefied,  probably  withdrawn  by  terrestrial  attraction  ;  then  aerial 
departure  of  respirable  air,  and  disappearance  of  water  by  means 
of  evapoi'ation.  At  this  period  the  moon  becoming  uninhabitable, 
was  no  longer  inhabited.  It  was  a  dead  world,  such  as  we  see 
it  to-day." 

"  And  you  say  that  the  same  fate  is  in  store  for  the 
earth  ?  " 

"  Most  probably." 

"  But  when  ?  " 

"  When  the  cooling  of  its  crust  shall  have  made  it  uninhabitable." 

"  And  have  they  calculated  the  time  which  our  unfortunate 
sphere  will  take  to  cool  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  And  you  know  these  calculations  ?  '* 

"  Perfectly." 

"  But  speak,  then,  my  clumsy  savant,"  exclaimed  Michel  Arden, 
"  for  you  make  me  boil  with  impatience  !  " 

"  Very  well,  my  good  Michel,"  replied  Barbicane  quietly,  "wo 
know  what  diminution  of  temperature  the  earth  undergoes  in  the 
lapse  of  a  century.  And  according  to  certain  calculations,  this 
mean  temperature  will,  after  a  period  of  400,000  years,  be  brought 
down  to  zero! " 


2S8  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


"  Four  hundred  tliousanil  years!"  exclaimed  Michel.  *'Ali!  I 
brofttho  again.  Kcally  I  was  frightened  to  hear  you;  I  imagined 
tliat  we  had  not  more  than  50,000  years  to  live." 

Barbicane  and  Nicholl  could  not  help  laughing  at  their  compa- 
nion's uneasiness.  Then  Nicholl,  who  wished  to  end  the  discus- 
sion, put  the  second  question,  which  had  just  been  considered 


again. 


*'  Has  the  moon  been  inhabited  ?  "  he  asked. 

The  answer  was  unanimously  in  the  affirmative.  But  during 
this  discussion,  fruitful  in  somewhat  hazardous  theories,  .the 
projectile  was  rapidly  leaving  the  moon  ;  the  lineaments  faded 
away  from  the  travellers'  eyes,  mountains  were  confused  in  the 
distance;  and  of  all  the  wonderful,  strange,  and  fantastical  form 
of  the  earth's  satellite,  there  soon  remained  nothing  but  the 
imperishable  remembrance. 


A    STRUGGLE  AGAINST   THE    IMPOSSIBLE.  28q 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A   STRUGGLE    AGAINST    THE   IMPOSSIBLE. 

For  a  long  time  Barbicaue  and  his  companions  looked  silently 
and  sadly  upon  that  woiid  which  they  had  only  seen  from  a  dis- 
tance, as  Moses  saw  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  which  they  were 
leaving  without  a  possibility  of  ever  returning  to  it.  The  pro- 
jectile's position  with  regard  to  the  moon  had  altered,  and  the 
base  was  now  turned  to  the  earth. 

This  change,  which  Barbicane  verified,  did  not  fail  to  surprise 
them.  If  the  projectile  was  to  gravitate  round  the  satellite  in  an 
elliptical  orbit,  why  was  not  its  heaviest  part  turned  towards  it, 
as  the  moon  turns  hers  to  the  earth  ?     That  was  a  difficult  point. 

In  watching  the  course  of  the  projectile  they  could  see  that 
on  leaving  the  moon  it  followed  a  course  analogous  to  that  traced 
in  approaching  her.  It  was  describing  a  very  long  ellipse,  which 
would  most  likely  extend  to  the  point  of  equal  attraction,  where 
the  influences  of  the  earth  and  its  satellite  are  neutralized. 

Such  was  the  conclusion  which  Barbicane  very  justly  drew 
from  facts  already  observed,  a  conviction  which  his  two  friends 
shared  with  him. 

"And  when  arrived  at  this  dead  point,  what  will  become  of 
us  ?  "  asked  Michel  Ardan. 

"  We  don't  know,"  replied  Barbicane.    • 

"But  one  can  draw  some  hypotheses,  I  suppose?" 

"Two,"  answered  Barbicane;   "either  the   projectile's  speed 

will  be  insufficient,  and  it  will  remain  for  ever  immovable  on  this 

line  of  double  attraction — " 

u 


290  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


"  I  prefer  the  other  hypothesis,  whatever  it  may  he,"  inter- 
rupted Michel. 

"Or,"  continued  Barhicane,  "its  speed  will  be  suflScient,  and  it 
will  continue  its  elliptical  course,  to  gravitate  for  ever  around  the 
orh  of  night." 

"A  revolution  not  at  all  consoling,"  said  Michel,  "to  pass  to 
the  state  of  humble  servants  to  a  nioon  whom  we  are  accustomed 
to  look  upon  as  our  own  handmaid.  So  that  is  the  fate  in  store 
for  us?" 

Neither  Barhicane  nor  Nicholl  answered. 

"  You  do  not  answer,"  continued  Michel  impatiently. 

"  Tliere  is  nothing  to  answer,"  said  Nicholl. 

"  Is  there  nothiug  to  try  ?" 

"  No,"  answered  Barhicane.  "  Do  you  pretend  to  fight  against 
the  impossihle  ?" 

"  Why  not  ?  Do  one  Frenchman  and  two  Americans  shrink 
from  such  a  word  ?  " 

"But  what  would  you  do?" 

"  Subdue  this  motion  which  is  bearing  us  away." 

"Subdue  it?" 

"  Yes,"  continued  Michel,  getting  animated,  "  or  else  alter  it, 
and  employ  it  to  the  accomplishment  of  our  own  ends." 

"And  how?" 

"  That  is  your  afHiir.  If  artillerymen  are  not  masters  of  their 
projectile  they  are  not  artillerymen.  If  the  projectile  is  to  com- 
mand the  gunner,  we  had  better  ram  the  gunner  into  the  gun. 
My  faith !  fine  savants  !  who  do  not  know  what  is  to  become  of  us 
after  inducing  me — " 

"Inducing  you!"  cried  Barhicane  and  Nicholl.  "Inducing 
you  !     What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  " 

"No  recrimination,"  said  Michel.  "I  do  not  complain;  the 
trip  has  pleased  me,  the  projectile  agrees  with  me;  but  let  us  do 
all  that  is  humanly  possible  to  do  to  fall  somewhere,  even  it  oniy 
ou  the  moon.'* 


AROUND  THE  PRO.TECTILE  WERE  THE  OBJECTS  WHICH 
HAD  BEEN  THROWN  OUT. 


[p.  291.] 


A    STRUGGLE  AGAINST   THE   IMPOSSIBLE.  29 1 

"  We  ask  no  better,  my  worthy  Michel,"  replied  Barbicane, 
"  but  means  fail  us." 

"  We  cannot  alter  the  motion  of  the  projectile  ?" 
"No." 

*'  Nor  diminish  its  speed  ?  " 
"  No." 

"Not  even  by  lightening  it,  as  they  lighten  an  overloaded 
vessel  ?  " 

"  What  would  you  throw  out?"  said  NichoU.     "We  have  no 
ballast  on  board ;  and  indeed  it  seems  to  me  that  if  lightened  it 
would  go  much  quickei\" 
"  Slower." 
"  Quicker." 

"Neither  slower  nor  quicker,"  said  Barbicane,  Avishing  to 
make  his  two  friends  agr^e :  "  for  we  float  in  space,  and  must  no 
longer  consider  specific  weight." 

"  Very  well,"  cried  Michel  Ardan  in  a  decided  voice ;  "  then 
there  remains  but  one  thing  to  do." 
"What  is  it?"  said  NichoU. 

"Breakfxst,"  answered  the  cool,  audacious  Frenchman,  who 
always  brought  up  this  solution  at  the  most  difiicult  juncture. 

In  any  case,  if  this  operation  had  no  influence  on  the  projectile's 
course,  it  could  at  least  be  tried  without  inconvenience,  and  even 
Avith  success  from  a  stomachic  point  of  view.  Certainly  Michel 
had  none  but  good  ideas. 

They  breakfasted  then  at  two  in  the  morning;  the  hour  mat- 
tered little.  Michel  served  his  usual  repast,  crowned  by  a 
glorious  bottle  drawn  from  his  private  cellar.  If  ideas  did  not 
crowd  on  their  brains,  we  must  despair  of  the  Chambertin  of  1853. 
The  repast  finished,  observations  began  again.  Around  the  pro- 
jectile, at  an  invariable  distance,  were  the  objects  which  had  been 
thrown  out.  Evidently,  in  its  translatory  motion  round  the  moon, 
it  had  not  passed  through  any  atmosphere,  for  the  specific  weight 
of  these  different  objects  would  have  checked  their  relative  speed. 

f  2 


•92  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


Oil  tho  side  of  tho  terrestrial  sphere  nothing  was  to  be  seen. 
The  earth  was  but  a  day  old,  having  been  new  the  night  before 
ut  twelve;  and  two  days  must  elapse  before  its  crescent,  freed 
from  the  solar  rays,  would  serve  as  a  clock  to  the  Selenites,  as  in  its 
rotatory  movement  each  of  its  points  after  twenty-four  hours 
repasses  the  same  lunar  meridian. 

On  the  moon's  side  the  sight  was  different;  the  orb  shone  in 
all  her  splendour  amidst  innumerable  constellations,  whose  purity 
could  not  be  troubled  by  her  rays.  On  the  disc,  the  plains  were 
already  returning  to  the  dark  tint  which  is  seen  from  the  earth. 
The  other  part  of  the  nimbus  remained  brilliant,  and  in  the 
midst  of  this  general  brilliancy,  Tycho  shone  prominently  like 


a  sun. 


Barbicane  had  no  means  of  estimating  the  projectile's  speed, 
but  reasoning  showed  that  it  must  uniformly  decrease,  according 
to  all  the  laws  of  mechanical  reasoning.     Having  admitted  that 
the  projectile   was    describing   an    orbit  round    the    moon,    this 
orbit  must  necessarily  be  elliptical;  science  proves  that  it  must 
be  so.     Ko  motive   body  circulating  round  an  attracting  body 
fails  in  this  law.       Every  orbit  described  in  space  is  elliptical. 
And  why  should   the   projectile  of   the    Gun    Club  escape  this 
natural  arrangement?      In  elliptical  orbits,   tho  attracting  body 
always   occupies  one  of  the  foci  ;    so  that  at  one  moment  the 
satellite  is  nearer,  and  at  another  farther  from  the  orb  around 
which  it  gravitates.     When  the  earth  is  nearest  the  sun,  she  is  in 
her  perihelion;  and  in  her  aphelion  at  the  farthest  point.     Speak- 
ing  of  the  moon,  she  is  nearest  to  the  earth  in  her  perigee,  and 
furthest  from  it  in  her  apogee.     To  use  analogous  expressions, 
with  which  the  astronomers'  language  is  enriched,  if  the  projectile 
remains  as  a  satellite  of  the  moon,  we  must  say  that  it  is  in  its 
"  aposelene"  at  its  farthest  point,  and  in  its  "  periselene  "  at  its 
nearest.     In  the  latter  case,  the  projectile  would  attain  its  maxi- 
inum  of  speed;  and  in  the  former  its  minimum.     It  was  evidently 
moving    towards   its    aposelenitical   point;    and   Barbicane   had 


A    STRUGGLE  AGAINST    THE  IMPOSSIBLE.  293 


reason  to  think  that  its  speed  wouUl  decrease  up  to  this  point,  and 
then  increase  by  degrees  as  it  neared  the  moon.  This  speed 
would  even  become  nil,  if  this  point  joined  tliat  of  equal  attraction. 
Barbicane  studied  the  consequences  of  these  different  situations, 
and  thinking  what  inference  he  could  draw  from  them,  when  ho 
was  roughly  disturbed  by  a  cry  from  Michel  Ardan. 

"By  Jove  !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  I  must  admit  we  are  downright 
simpletons!  " 

"I  do  not  say  we  are  not,"  replied  Barbicane  ;  "but  why?'* 

"  Because  we  have  a  very  simple  means  of  checking  this  speed 
which  is  bearing  us  from  the  moon,  and  we  do  not  use  it  1 " 

"  And  what  is  the  means?  " 

"  To  use  the  recoil  contained  in  our  rockets." 

«  Done  !  "  said  Nicholl. 

"  We  have  not  used  this  force  yet,"  said  Barbicane,  "  it  is  true, 
but  we  will  do  so." 

"  When?  "  asked  Michel. 

"  When  the  time  comes.  Observe,  my  friends,  that  in  the 
position  occupied  by  the  projectile,  an  oblique  position  with 
regard  to  the  lunar  disc,  our  rockets,  in  slightly  altering  its 
direction,    might  turn  it  from  the  moon  instead   of  drawing  it 

nearer?  " 

"  Just  so,"  replied  Michel. 

"  Let  us  wait,  then.  By  some  inexplicable  influence,  the  pro- 
jectile is  turning  its  base  towards  the  earth.  It  is  probable  that 
at  the  point  of  equal  attraction,  its  conical  cap  will  be  directed 
rigidly  towards  the  moon  ;  at  that  moment  we  may  hope  that 
its  speed  will  be  nil ;  then  will  be  the  moment  to  act,  and  with 
the  influence  of  our  rockets,  we  may  perhaps  provoke  a  fall 
directly  on  the  surface  of  the  lunar  disc." 

"  Bravo  ! "  said  Michel.  "  What  we  did  not  do,  what  we  could 
not  do  on  our  first  passage  at  the  dead  point,  ^because  the  projec- 
tile was  then  endowed  with  too  great  a  speed." 

"  Very  well  reasoned,"  said  Nicholl. 


294 


ROUND    THE   MOON. 


"Let  us  wait  patiently,"  continued  Barbicane.  "Putting  every 
chance  on  our  side,  and  after  having  so  much  despaired,  I  may 
say  I  think  that  we  shall  gain  our  end." 

This  conclusion  was  'a  signal  for  Michel  Ardan's  hips  and 
hurrahs.  And  none  of  the  audacious  boobies  remembered  the 
question  that  they  themselves  had  solved  in  the  negative.  No  ! 
the  moon  is  not  inhabited  ;  no !  the  moon  is  probably  not 
habitable.  And  yet  they  were  going  to  try  every  thing  to 
reach  her. 

One  single  question  remained  to  be  solved.  At  what  precise 
moment  the  projectile  would  reach  the  point  of  equal  attraction, 
on  which  the  travellers  must  play  their  last  card.  In  order  to 
calculate  this  to  within  a  few  seconds,  Barbicane  had  only  to 
refer  to  his  notes,  and  to  reckon  the  different  heights  taken  on 
the  lunar  parallels.  Thus  the  time  necessary  to  travel  over  the 
distance  between  the  dead  point  and  the  south  pole  would  be 
equal  to  the  distance  separating  the  north  pole  from  the  dead 
point.  The  hours  representing  the  time  travelled  over  were 
carefully  noted,  and  the  calculation  was  easy.  Barbicane  found 
that  this  point  would  be  reached  at  one  in  the  morning  on  the 
night  of  the  7th — 8th  of  December.  So  that,  if  nothing  interfered 
with  its  course,  it  would  reach  the  given  point  in  twenty-two  hours. 

The  rockets  had  primarily  been  placed  to  check  the  fall  of 
the  projectile  upon  the  moon,  and  now  they  were  going  to  employ 
them  for  a  directly  contrary  purpose.  In  any  case  they  were 
ready,  and  they  had  only  to  wait  for  the  moment  to  set  fire  tq 
them. 

"  Since  there  is  nothing  else  to  be  done,"  said  Nicholl,  "  I  make 
a  proposition." 

"  What  is  it  ?"  asked  Barbicane. 

"  I  propose  to  go  to  sleep." 

"  What  a  motion  I "  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan. 

"  It  is  forty  hours  since  we  closed  our  eyes,"  said  Nicholl. 
*'  Some  hours  of  sleep  will  restore  our  strength." 


"  THESE  PRACTICAL  PEOPLE  HAVE  SOMETIMES  MOST 
INOPPORTL'NE  IDEAS." 


[p.  295.] 


A    STRUGGLE   AGAINST    THE   IMPOSSIBLE.  295 


"  Never,"  interrupted  Michel. 

"  Well,"  continued  NiclioU,  "  every  one  to  his  taste  ;  I  shall 
go  to  sleep."  And  stretching  himself  on  the  divan,  ho  soon 
snored  like  a  forty-eight  pounder. 

"  That  NichoU  has  a  good  deal  of  sense,"  said  Barbicanc, 
"presently  I  shall  follow  his  example."  Some  moments  after  his 
continued  base  supported  the  captain's  barytone. 

"  Certainly,"  said  Michel  Ardan,  finding  himself  alone,  "  these 
practical  people  have  sometimes  most  opportune  ideas." 

And  with  his  long  legs  stretched  out,  and  his  great  arms  folded 
under  his  head,  Michel  slept  in  his  turn. 

But  this  sleep  could  be  neither  peaceful  nor  lasting,  the  minds 
of  these  three  men  were  too  much  occupied,  and  some  hours 
after,  about  seven  in  the  morning,  all  three  were  on  foot  at  tho 
same  instant. 

The  projectile  was  still  leaving  the  moon,  and  turning  its 
conical  part  more  and  more  towards  her. 

An  explicable  phenomenon,  but  one  which  happily  served 
Barbicane's  ends. 

Seventeen  hours  more,  and  the  moment  for  action  would  have 
arrived. 

The  day  seemed  long.  However  bold  the  travellers  might  be, 
they  were  greatly  impressed  by  the  approach  of  that  moment 
which  would  decide  all — either  precipitate  their  fall  on  to  tho 
moon,  or  for  ever  chain  them  in  an  immutable  orbit.  They 
counted  the  hours  as  they  passed  too  slow  for  their  wish  ;  Barbi- 
cane  and  Nicholl  were  obstinately  plunged  in  their  calculations, 
Michel  going  and  coming  between  the  narrow  walls,  and  watch- 
ing that  impassive  moon  with  a  longing  eye. 

At  times  recollections  of  the  earth  crossed  their  minds.  They 
saw  once  more  their  friends  of  the  Gun  Club,  and  the  dearest  of 
all,  J.  T.  Maston.  At  that  moment,  the  honourable  secretary 
must  be  filling  his  post  on  the  Rocky  Mountains.  IT  he  could 
see  the  projectile  through  the  glass  of  his  gigantic   telescope. 


296 


ROUND    THE  MOON. 


•wlmt  would  liG  tliink?  After  seeing  it  disappear  behind  tlie 
moon's  south  pole,  he  would  see  them  reappear  by  the  north  pole  ! 
They  must  therefore  be  a  satellite  of  a  satellite  !  Had  J.  T. 
Mastou  given  this  unexpected  news  to  the  world  ?  Was  this  the 
denouement  of  this  great  enterprise  ? 

But  the  day  passed  without  incident.  The  terrestrial  midnight 
arrived.  The  8th  of  December  was  beginning.  One  hour  more, 
and  the  point  of  equal  attraction  would  bo  reached.  What  speed 
would  then  animate  the  projectile  ?  They  could  not  estimate  it. 
But  no  error  could  vitiate  Barbicane's  calculations.  At  one  in  the 
morning,  this  speed  ought  to  be  and  would  be  nil. 

Besides,  another  phenomenon  would  mark  the  projectile's  stop- 
ping-point on  the  neutral  line.  At  that  spot  the  two  attractions, 
lunar  and  terrestrial,  would  be  annulled.  Objects  would  "weigh" 
no  more.  This  singular  fact,  which  had  surprised  Barbicane  and 
his  companions  so  much  in  going,  would  be  repeated  on  their 
return  under  the  very  same  conditions.  At  this  precise  moment 
they  must  act. 

Already  the  projectile's  conical  top  was  sensibly  turned  towards 
the  lunar  disc,  presented  in  such  a  way  as  to  utilize  the  whole  of 
the  recoil  produced  by  the  pressure  of  the  rocket  apparatus.  The 
chances  were  in  favour  of  the  travellers.  If  its  speed  was  utterly 
annulled  on  this  dead  point,  a  decided  movement  towards  the 
moon  would  suffice,  however  slight,  to  determine  its  fall. 

"  Five  minutes  to  one,"  said  NichoU. 

"All  is  ready,"  replied  Michel  Ardan,  directing  a  lighted  match 
to  the  flame  of  the  gas. 

"  Wait !  "  said  Barbicane,  holding  his  chronometer  in  his  hand. 

At  that  moment  weight  had  no  effect.  The  travellers  felt  in 
themselves  the  entire  disappearance  of  it.  They  were  very  near 
the  neutral  point,  if  they  did  not  touch  it. 

"  One  o'clock,"  said  Barbicane. 

IMichol  Ardan  applied  the  lighted  match  to  a  train  in  com- 
munication with  the  rockets.     No  detonation  was  heard  in  the 


AEDEN  APPLIED  THE  LIGHTED  MATCH. 


11'.  '.»««•: 


A    STRUGGLE    AGAINST    THE   IMPOSSIBLE.  297 

inside,  for  there  was  no  air.  But,  tliroiigli  tlie  scuttles  Barbicano 
saw  a  prolonged  smoke,  the  flames  of  which  were  immediately 
extinguislied. 

The  projectile  sustained  a  certain  shock,  which  was  scneihly 
felt  in  the  interior. 

The  three  friends  looked  and  listened  without  speaking,  and 
scarcely  breathing.  One  might  have  heard  the  beating  of  their 
heai'ts  amidst  this  perfect  silence. 

"  Are  we  falling  ?  "  asked  Michel  Ardan,  at  length. 

"  No,"  said  Nicholl,  "  since  the  bottom  of  the  projectile  is  not 
turning  to  the  lunar  disc  ! " 

At  this  moment,  Barbicane,  quitting  the  scuttle,  turned  to  his 
two  companions.  He  was  frightfully  pale,  his  forehead  wrinkled, 
and  his  lips  contracted. 

"  We  are  falling  !  "  said  he. 

"  Ah  1 "  cried  Michel  Ardan,  "  on  to  the  moon  ?  " 

"  On  to  the  earth  !  " 

"  The  devil !  "  exclaimed  Michel  Ardan, adding  philosophically, 
"  well,  when  we  came  into  this  projectile  we  were  very  doubtful 
as  to  the  ease  with  which  we  should  get  out  of  it  ! " 

And  now  this  fearful  fall  had  begun.  The  speed  retained  had 
borne  the  projectile  beyond  the  dead  point.  The  explosion  of  the 
rockets  could  not  divert  its  course.  This  speed  in  going  had 
carried  it  over  the  neutral  line,  and  in  returning  had  done  the 
same  thing.  The  laws  of  physics  condemned  it  to  pass  through 
every  point  which  it  had  already  gone  through.  It  was  a  terrible 
fall,  from  a  height  of  160,000  miles,  and  no  springs  to  break  it. 
According  to  the  laws  of  gunnery,  the  projectile  must  strike  the 
earth  with  a  speed  equal  to  that  with  which  k  left  the  mouth  of 
the  Colnmbiad,  a  speed  of  16,000  yards  in  the  last  second. 

But  to  give  some  figures  of  comparison,  it  has  been  reckoned 
that  an  object  thrown  from  the  top  of  the  towers  of  Notre 
Dame,  the  height  of  which  is  only  200  feet,  will  arrive  on  the 
pavement  at  a  speed  of  240  miles  per  hour.      Here  the  pro- 


agS  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


jocfilo  must  strike  the  earth  with  a  speed  of  115,200  miles  per 
hour. 

"  VVc  arc  lost !  "  said  Michel  coolly. 

"  Very  well  !  if  we  die,"  answered  Barbicane,  witli  a  sort  of 
rt'ligious  enthusiasm,  "  the  result  of  our  travels  Avill  be  mao-nifi- 
centiy  spread.  It  is  His  own  secret  that  God  will  tell  us  !  In  the 
other  life,  the  soul  will  want  to  know  nothing,  either  of  machines 
or  engines  !     It  will  be  identified  with  eternal  wisdom  !  " 

"  In  fact,"  interrupted  Michel  Ardan,  "  the  whole  of  the  other 
world  may  well  console  us  for  the  loss  of  that  inferior  orb  called 
the  moon  ! " 

nurbicano  crossed  his  arms  on  his  breast,  with  a  motion  of 
Bublimc  resignation,  saying  at  the  same  time, 

"  The  will  of  heaven  be  done  1" 


THE   SOUNDINGS   OF   THE   "SUSQUEHANNA."  299 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    SOUNDINGS    OF   THE    "SUSQUEHANNA.'* 

"  Well,  lieutenant,  and  our  soundings  ?  " 

"  I  think,  sir,  that  the  operation  is  nearing  its  completion," 
replied  Lieutenant  Brousfield.  "  But  who  would  have  thought 
of  finding  such  a  depth  so  near  in  shore,  and  only  200  miles  from 
the  American  coast  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  Bronsfield,  there  is  a  great  depression,"  said 
Captain  Blomsberry.  "  In  this  spot  there  is  a  submarine  valley 
worn  by  Humboldt's  current,  which  skirts  the  coast  of  America 
as  far  as  the  Straits  of  Magellan." 

"  These  great  depths,"  continued  the  lieutenant,  "  aj-e  not 
favourable  for  laying  telegi-aphic  cables.  A  level  bottom,  like 
that  supporting  the  American  cable  between  Valentia  and  New- 
foundland, is  much  better." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  Bronsfield.  With  your  permission, 
lieutenant,  where  are  we  now  ?  " 

"  Sir,  at  this  moment  we  have  3508  fathoms  of  line  out,  and 
the  ball  which  draws  the  sounding  lead  has  not  yet  touched  the 
bottom ;  for  if  so,  it  would  have  come  up  of  itself." 

"  Brook's  apparatus  is  very  ingenious,"  said  Captain  Blomsbeny; 
*'  it  gives  us  very  exact  soundings." 

"  Touch  !  "  cried  at  this  moment  one  of  the  men  at  the  fore- 
wheel,  who  was  superintending  the  operation. 

The  captain  and  the  lieutenant  mounted  the  quarter-deck. 

"  What  depth  have  we  ?  "  asked  the  captain. 


300 


ROUND    THE   MOON. 


"  Three  thoiipand  six  huudred  and  twenty-seven  fathoms," 
jopliod  the  lieutenant,  entering  it  in  his  note-book. 

"Well,  Rronsfield,"  said  the  captain,"!  will  take  down  the 
result.  Now  luuil  in  the  sounding  line.  It  will  be  the  work  of 
pome  hours.  In  that  time  the  engineer  can  light  the  furnaces,  and 
Ave  shall  bo  ready  to  start  as  soon  as  you  have  finished.  It  is  ten 
o'clock,  and  with  your  permission,  lieutenant,  I  will  turn  in." 

"  Do  BO,  sir  ;  do  so  !"  replied  the  lieutenant  obligingly. 

The  captain  of  the  "  Susquehanna,"  as  brave  a  man  as  need 
be,  and  the  humble  servant  of  his  officers,  returned  to  his  cabin, 
took  a  brandy-grog,  which  earned  for  the  steward  no  end  of  praise, 
nnd  turned  in,  not  without  having  complimented  his  servant  upon 
his  making  beds,  and  slept  a  peaceful  sleep. 

It  was  then  ten  at  night.  The  eleventh  day  of  the  month  of 
December  was  drawing  to  a  close  in  a  magnificent  night. 

The  "  Susquehanna,"  a  corvette  of  500  horse-power,  of  the 
United  States'  navy,  was  occupied  in  taking  soundings  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean  about  200  miles  off  the  American  coast,  following 
that  long  peninsula  which  stretches  down  the  coast  of  New 
Mexico. 

The  wind  had  dropped  by  degrees.  There  was  no  disturbance 
in  the  air.  Their  pennant  hung  motionless  from  the  maintop- 
gallant-mast  truck. 

Captain  Jonathan  Blomsberry  (cousin-german  of  Colonel 
]>lomsberry,  one  of  the  most  ai'dent  supporters  of  the  Gun  Club, 
who  had  married  an  aunt  of  the  captain  and  daughter  of  au 
honourable  Kentucky  merchant,) — Captain  Blomsberry  could  not 
have  Avished  for  finer  weather  in  which  to  bring  to  a  close  his 
delicate  operations  of  sounding.  His  corvette  had  not  even  felt 
the  great  tempest,  which  by  sweeping  away  the  groups  of  clouds 
on  the  Rocky  Mountains,  had  allowed  them  to  observe  the  course 
of  the  famous  projectile. 

Everything  went  well,  and  with  all  the  fervour  of  a  Presby- 
terian, ho  did  not  forget  to  thank  heaven  for  it.     The  series  of 


"I  FANCY  I  SEE  THEM." 


[p.  301.] 


THE   SOUNDINGS   OF    THE    "SUSQUEHANNA."  30I 


soundings  taken  by  the  "  Susquehanna,"  had  for  its  aim  tho  find- 
ing of  a  favourable  spot  for  tho  hiying  of  a  submarine  cable  fo 
connect  the  Hawaian  Islanvls  with  the  coast  of  America. 

It  Avas  a  great  undertaking,  due  to  the  instigation  of  a  powerful 
company.  Its  managing  director,  the  intelligent  Cyrus  Field, 
purposed  even  covering  all  the  islands  of  Oceania  with  a  vast 
electrical  network,  an  immense  enterprise,  and  one  worthy  of 
American  genius. 

To  the  corvette  "  Susquehanna  "  had  been  confided  the  first 
operations  of  sounding.  It  was  on  the  night  of  the  11th — 12th 
December,  she  was  in  exactly  27°  7'  north  lat.,  and  41°  37' 
west  long.,  on  the  meridian  of  Washington. 

The  moon,  then  in  her  last  quarter,  was  beginning  to  rise  above 
the  horizon. 

After  the  departure  of  Captain  Blomsberry,  the  lieutenant  and 
some  officers  w^ere  standing  together  on  the  poop.  On  the  appear- 
ance of  the  moon,  their  thoughts  turned  to  that  orb  which  the 
eyes  of  a  whole  hemisphere  were  contemplating.  The  best  naval 
glasses  could  not  have  discovered  the  projectile  wandering  around 
its  hemisphere,  and  yet  all  were  pointed  towards  that  brilliant  disc 
which  millions  of  eyes  were  looking  at  at  the  same  moment. 

"  They  have  been  gone  ten  days,"  said  Lieutenant  Bronsfield 
at  last.     "  What  has  become  of  them  ?" 

"  They  have  arrived,  lieutenant,"  exclaimed  a  young  midship- 
man, "  and  they  are  doing  what  all  travellers  do  when  they  arrive 
in  a  new  country,  taking  a  walk  !" 

"  Oh  !  I  am  sure  of  that,  if  you  tell  me  so,  my  young  friend," 
said  Lieutenant  Bronsfield,  smiling. 

"But,"  continued  another  officer,  "their  arrival  cannot  be 
doubted.  The  projectile  was  to  reach  the  moon  when  full  on  the 
5th  at  midnight.  We  are  now  at  the  11th  of  December,  which 
makes  six  days.  And  in  six  times  twenty-four  hours,  without 
darkness,  one  would  have  time  to  settle  comfortably.  I  fancy  I 
see  my  brave  countrymen  encamped  at  the  botto.m  of  some  valley, 


^02  ROUKD    THE   MOON. 


on  the  borders  of  a  Selenitc  streatn,  near  a  projectile  half  buried 
by  its  fall  amidst  volcanic  rubbish,  Captain  Nicholl  beginning  his 
levelling  operations,  President  Barbicane  writing  out  his  notes, 
and  Michel  Ardan  embalming  the  lunar  solitudes  with  the  perfume 

of  his—" 

"Yes  !  it  must  be  so,  it  is  so  !"  exclaimed  the  young  midship- 
man, worked  up  to  a  pitch  of  enthusiasm  by  this  ideal  description 
of  his  superior  officer. 

"I  should  like  to  believe  it,"  replied  the  lieutenant,  who  was 
quite  unmoved.  "  Unfortunately  direct  news  from  the  lunar  world 
is  still  wanting." 

"  Beg  pardon,  lieutenant,"  said  the  midshipman,  "  but  cannot 
President  Barbicane  write  ?" 

A  burst  of  laughter  greeted  this  answer. 

"  No  letters  !"  continued  the  young  man  quickly.  "  The  postal 
administration  has  something  to  see  to  there." 

"  Might  it  not  be  the  telegraphic  service  that  is  at  fault  ?" 
asked  one  of  the  officers  ironically. 

"  Not  necessarily,"  replied  the  midshipman,  not  at  all  confused. 
"  But  it  is  very  easy  to  set  up  a  graphic  communication  with  the 
earth." 

«  And  how  ?" 

"  By  means  of  the  telescope  at  Long's  Peak.  You  know  it 
brings  the  moon  to  within  four  miles  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
that  it  shows  objects  on  its  surface  of  only  nine  feet  in  diameter. 
Very  well  ;  let  our  industrious  friends  construct  a  gigantic 
alphabet  ;  let  them  write  words  three  fathoms  long,  and  sentences 
three  miles  long,  and  then  they  can  send  us  news  of  themselves  ?" 

The  young  midshipman,  who  had  a  certain  amount  of  imagina- 
tion, was  loudly  applauded  ;  Lieutenant  Brousfield  allowing  that 
the  idea  was  possible,  but  observing  that  if  by  these  means  they 
could  receive  news  from  the  lunar  world  they  could  not  send  any 
from  the  terrestrial,  unless  the  Selenites  had  instruments  fit  for 
taking  distant  observations  at  their  disposal. 


THE   SOUNDINGS   OF   THE   "SUSQUEHANNA:'  303 


"  Evidently,"  said  one  of  the  officers;  "but  what  has  become 
of  the  travellers  ?  what  they  have  done,  what  they  have  seen 
that  above  all  must  interest  us.  Besides,  if  the  experiment  hns 
succeeded  (which  I  do  not  doubt),  they  will  try  it  again.  The 
Columbiad  is  still  sunk  in  the  soil  of  Florida,  It  is  now  only  a 
question  of  powder  and  shot;  and  every  time  the  moon  is  at  her 
zenith,  a  cargo  of  visitors  may  be  sent  to  her." 

"It  is  clear,"  replied  Lieutenant  Bronsfield,  "  that  J,  T,  Maston 
will  one  day  join  his  friends." 

*'  If  he  will  have  me,"  cried  the  midshipman,  "  I  am  ready  !  " 

"Oh!  volunteers  will  not  be  wanting,"  answered  Bronsfield; 
"  and  if  it  were  allowed,  half  of  the  earth's  inhabitants  would 
emigrate  to  the  moon  !" 

This  conversation  between  the  officers  of  the  "  Susquehanna" 
was  kept  up  until  nearly  one  in  the  morning.  We  cannot 
say  what  blundering  systems  were  broached,  what  inconsis- 
tent theories  advanced  by  these  bold  spirits.  Since  Bar- 
bicane's  attempt,  nothing  seemed  impossible  to  the  Americans. 
They  had  already  designed  an  expedition,  not  only  of  savants,  but 
of  a  whole  colony  towards  the  Selenite  borders,  and  a  complete 
army,  consisting  of  infantry,  artillery,  and  cavalry,  to  conquer 
the  lunar  world. 

At  one  in  the  morning,  the  hauling  in  ol  the  sounding-line  was 
not  yet  completed;  1670  fathoms  were  still  out,  which  would 
entail  some  hours'  work.  According  to  the  commander's  orders, 
the  fires  had  been  lighted,  and  steam  was  being  got  up.  The 
"  Susquehanna  "  could  have  started  that  very  instant. 

At  that  moment  (it  was  seventeen  minutes  past  one  in  the 
morning)  Lieutenant  Bronsfield  Avas  preparing  to  leave  the 
watch  and  return  to  his  cabin,  when  his  attention  was  attracted 
by  a  distant  hissing  noise.  His  comrades  and  himself  first  thought 
that  this  hissing  was  caused  by  the  letting  oflf  of  steam  ;  but  lifting 
their  heads,  they  found  that  the  noise  was  produced  in  the  highest 
regions  of  the  air.      They  had  not  time  to  question  each  other 


304 


ROUND    THE  MOON. 


beroro  the  hissing  became  friglitfuUy  intense,  and  suddenly  there 
np|>onicd  to  their  dazzled  eyes  an  enormous  meteor,  ignited  by  the 
rapidity  of  its  course  and  its  friction  through  the  atmospheric 
Ptrntn. 

Tliis  iiery  niiw-s  grew  larger  to  their  eyes,  and  fell,  with  the 
noise  of  thunder,  upon  the  bowsprit,  which  it  smashed  close  to  the 
Btcm,  and  buried  it-self  in  the  waves  with  a  deafening  roar  ! 

A  few  foot  nearer,  and  the  "  Susquehanna  "  would  have  foun- 
dered with  all  on  board  ! 

At  this  instant  Captain  Blomsberry  appeared,  half  dressed,  and 
rushing  on  to  the  forecastle-deck,  whither  all  the  officers  had 
hurried,  exclaimed,  "  With  your  pei-mission,  gentlemen,  what  has 
hap|)encd  ?  " 

And  the  midshipman,  making  himself  as  it  were  the  echo  of 
the  body,  cried,  "  Commander,  it  is  *  they  '  come  back  again  !  " 


A  FEW  FEET  NEARER. 


[p.  30:.] 


J.    T.    MASTON  RECALLED. 


305 


CHAPTER  XXL 

J.    T.    MASTON   RECALLED. 

"  It  is  '  they  '  come  back  again  ! "  the  young  midshipman  had 
said;  and  every  one  had  understood  him.  No  one  doubted  but 
that  that  meteor  was  the  projectile  of  the  Gun  Club.  As  to  the 
travellers  which  it  enclosed,  opinions  were  divided  regarding  their 
fate. 

"  They  are  dead  ! "  said  one. 

"  They  are  alive  ! "  said  another;  "  the  crater  is  deep,  and  the 
shock  was  deadened." 

"  But  they  must  have  wanted  air,"  continued  a  third  speaker; 
"  they  must  have  died  of  suffocation." 

"  Burnt ! "  replied  a  fourth;  "  the  projectile  was  nothing  but  an 
incandescent  mass  as  it  crossed  the  atmosphere." 

"  What  does  it  matter!"  they  exclaimed  unanimously;  "living 
or  dead,  we  must  pull  them  out ! " 

But  Captain  Blomsberry  had  assembled  his  officers,  and  "  with 
their  permission,"  was  holding  a  council.  They  must  decide  upon 
something  to  be  done  immediately.  The  more  hasty  ones  were 
for  fishing  up  the  projectile.  A  difficult  operation,  though  not  an 
impossible  one.  But  the  corvette  had  no  proper  machinery,  which 
must  be  both  fixed  and  powerful;  so  it  was  resolved  that  they 
should  put  in  at  the  nearest  port,_  and  givo  information  to  the 
Gun  Club  of  the  projectile's  fall. 

This  determination  was  unanimous.  The  choice  of  the  port 
had  to  be  discussed.  The  neighbouring  coast  had  no  anchorage 
on  27°.  lat.     Higher  up,  above  the  peninsula  of  Monterey,  stands 

X 


.q5  rqund  the  moon. 


tlio  important  town  from  which  it  takes  its  name  ;  but,  seated  on 
tlic  borders  of  a  perfect  desert,  it  was  not  connected  with  the 
interior  by  a  network  of  telegraphic  wires,  and  electricity  alone 
could  spread  these  important  news  fast  enough. 

Some  degrees  nbove  opened  the  bay  of  San  Francisco.  Through 
the  capital  of  the  gold  country,  communication  would  be  easy 
with  the  heart  of  the  Union.  And  in  less  than  two  days  the 
"  Susquehanna,"  by  putting  on  high  pressure,  could  arrive  in  that 
port.     She  must  therefore  start  at  once. 

The  fires  were  made  up  ;  they  could  set  off  immediately.  Two 
thousand  fathoms  of  line  were  still  out,  which  Captain  Bloms- 
berry,  not  wishing  to  lose  precious  time  in  hauling  in,  resolved  to 
cut. 

"  We  will  fasten  the  end  to  a  buoy,"  said  he  ;  "  and  that  buoy 
will  show  us  the  exact  spot  where  the  projectile  fell." 

"  Besides,"  replied  Lieutenant  Bronsfield,  "we  have  our  situa- 
tion exact— 27°  7'  north  lat.  and  41°  37'  west  long." 

"  Well,  Mr.  Bronsfield,"  replied  the  captain,  "now,  with  your 
permission,  we  will  have  the  line  cut." 

A  strong  buoy,  strengthened  by  a  couple  of  spars,  was  thrown 
into  the  ocean.  The  end  of  the  rope  was  carefully  lashed  to  it; 
and,  left  solely  to  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  billows,  the  buoy  would 
not  sensibly  deviate  from  the  spot. 

At  this  moment  the  engineer  sent  to  inform  the  captain  that 
steam  was  up  and  they  could  start,  for  which  agreeable  commu- 
nication the  captain  thanked  him.  The  course  was  then  given 
north-north-east,  and  the  corvette,  wearing,  steered  at  full  steam 
direct  for  San  Francisco.     It  was  three  in  the  morning. 

Four  bundled  and  fifty  miles  to  cross ;  it  was  nothing  for  a 
good  vessel  like  the  "  Susquehanna."  In  thirty-six  hours  she 
had  covered  that  distance;  and  on  the  14th  of  December,  at 
twenty-seven  minutes  past  one  at  night,  she  entered  the  bay  of 
San  Francisco. 

At  the  sight  of  a  ship  of  the  national  navy  arriving  at  full 


y.    T.    MASTON  RECALLED.  307 


speed,  with  her  bowsprit  broken,  public  curiosity  was  greatly 
roused.  A  dense  crowd  soon  assembled  on  the  quay,  waiting  for 
them  to  disembark. 

After  casting  anchor,  Captain  Blomsbcrry  and  Lieutenant 
Bronsfield  entered  au  eight-oared  cutter,  which  soon  brought 
them  to  land. 

They  jumped  on  to  the  quay. 

"The  telegraph?"  they  asked,  without  answering  one  of  the 
thousand  questions  addressed  to  them. 

The  officer  of  the  port  conducted  them  to  the  tclegraph-officc 
through  a  concourse  of  spectators.  Blomsberry  and  Bronsfield 
entered,  while  the  crowd  crushed  each  other  at  the  door. 

Some  minutes  later  a  fourfold  telegram  Avas  sent  out — the  first 
to  the  Naval  Secretary  at  Washington ;  the  second  to  the  Vice- 
President  of  the  Gun  Club,  Baltimore;  the  third  to  the  Hon. 
J.  T.  Maston,  Long's  Peak,  Rocky  Mountains ;  the  fourth  to  the 
Sub-Director  of  tbe  Cambridge  Observatory,  Massachusetts. 

It  was  worded  as  follows: — 

"In  20°  7'  nortli  lat.,  and  41°  37'  west  long.,  on  the  12tli  of  December,  at 
17  minutes  past  1  in  tlie  morning,  the  projectile  of  the  Columbiad  fell  into 
the  Pacific.    Send  instructions. — BLOiiSBEUET,  Commander  '  Susquehanna.'  " 

Five  minutes  afterwards  the  whole  town  of  San  Francisco 
learned  the  news.  Before  six  in  the  evening  the  different  States 
of  the  Union  had  heard  the  great  catastrophe ;  and  after  mid- 
night, by  the  cable,  the  whole  of  Europe  knew  the  result  of  the 
great  American  experiment. 

We  will  not  attempt  to  picture  the  effect  produced  on  the 
entire  world  by  that  unexpected  denouement. 

On  receipt  of  the  telegram  the  Naval  Secretary  telegraphed  to 
the  "  Susquehanna"  to  wait  in  the  bay  of  San  Francisco  without 
extinguishing  her  fires.  Day  and  night  she  must  be  ready  to  put 
to  sea. 

The  Cambridge  Observatory  called  a  special  meeting  ;  and,  with 
that  composure  which  distinguishes  learned   bodies  in   general, 

X  2 


3o8 


ROUND    THE   MOON. 


ppiiccfiilly  (Usciisscd  the  scientific  bearings  of  the  question.  At 
the  Gun  Club  there  was  an  explosion.  All  the  gunners  were 
nssomhlod.  Vice-President  the  Hon.  Wilcome  was  in  the  act  of 
reading  the  premature  despatch,  in  which  J.  T.  Maston  and  Bel- 
fast announced  that  the  projectile  had  just  been  seen  in  the  gigantic 
reflector  of  Long's  Peak,  and  also  that  it  was  held  by  lunar  attrac- 
tion,   and  was  playing  the    part  of  under  satellite  to  the  lunar 

world. 

We  know  the  truth  on  that  point. 

But  on  the  arrival  of  Blomsberry's  despatch,   so  decidedly  con- 
tradicting J.  T.  Maston's  telegram,  two  parties  were  formed  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Gun  Club.     On  one  side  were  those  who  admitted 
the  fall  of  the   projectile,    and    consequently   the   return  of  the 
tiavellers  ;    on  the  other,  those  who  believed  in  the  observations 
of  Long's  Peak,  concluded  that   the  commander  of  the  "  Susque- 
lianna"  had  made  a  mistake.     To  the  latter  the  pretended  pro- 
jectile was    nothing    but    a    meteor !    nothing   but    a    meteor,  a 
shooting  globe,  which  in  its  fall  had  smashed  the  bows  of  the 
corvette.     It  was  difficult  to  answer  this  argument,  for  the  speed 
with  which  it  Avas  animated  must  have  made   observation  very 
iliflicult.     The  commander  of  the  "Susquehanna"  and  her  officers 
might  have   made  a  mistake  in  all  good  faith  ;    one  argument, 
however,  was  in  their  favour,  namely,  that  if  the  projectile  had 
fallen  on  the  earth,  its  place  of  meeting  with  the  terrestrial  globe 
could  only  take  place  on  this   27°  north  lat.,  and  (taking  into 
con:  idc ration  the  time  that  had  elapsed,  and  the  rotary  motion  of 
the  earth)  between  the  forty-first  and  the  forty-second  degree  of 
west  longitude.     In  any  case,  it  was  decided  in  the  Gun  Club  that 
Blomsberry  brothers,  Bilsby,  and  Major  Elphinstone  should  go 
Hti-aight  to  San  Francisco,  and  consult  as  to  the  means  of  raising 
the  projectile  from  the  depths  of  the  ocean. 

These  devoted  men  set  off  at  once  ;  and  the  railroad,  which  Avill 
Boon  cross  the  whole  of  central  America,  took  them  as  far  as  St. 
Louis,  whore  the  swift  mail-coaches  awaited  them.     Almost  at 


J.    r.    M ASTON  RECALLED.  309 


the  same  moment  in  Avhicb  the  Secretary  of  Marine,  the  Vice- 
President  of  the  Gun  Club,  and  tlie  Sub-Director  of  the  Observa- 
tory received  the  despatch  from  San  Francisco,  the  Honourable 
J.  T.  Maston  was  undergoing  the  greatest  excitement  he  had  ever 
experienced  in  his  life,  an  excitement  which  even  the  bursting  of 
his  pet  gun,  which  had  more  than  once  nearly  cost  him  his  life, 
had  not  caused  him.  We  may  remember  that  the  Secretary  of  tlie 
Gun  Club  had  started  soon  after  the  projectile  (and  almost  as 
quickly)  for  the  station  in  Long's  Peak,  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
J.  Belfast,  Director  of  the  Cambridge  Observatory,  accom{)anying 
him.  Arrived  there,  the  two  friends  had  installed  themselves  at 
once,  never  quitting  the  summit  of  their  enormous  telescope.  We 
know  that  this  gigantic  instrument  had  been  set  up  according  to 
the  reflecting  system,  called  by  the  English,  "  front  view."  This 
arrangement  subjected  all  objects  to  but  one  reflection,  making 
the  view  consequently  much  cleai-er  ;  the  result  was  that, 
when  they  were  taking  observations,  J.  T.  Maston  and  Belfast 
were  placed  in  the  upper  part  of  the  instrument  and  not  in  the 
lower,  which  they  reached  by  a  circular  staircase,  a  master- 
piece of  lightness,  while  below  them  opened  a  metal  well, 
terminated  by  the  metallic  mirroi",  which  measured  280  feet  in 
depth. 

It  was  on  a  narrow  platform  placed  above  the  telescope  that  the 
two  savants  passed  their  existence,  execrating  the  day  which  hid 
the  moon  from  their  eyes,  and  the  clouds  which  obstinately  veiled 
her  during  the  night. 

What,  then,  was  their  delight  when,  after  some  days  of  waiting, 
on  the  night  of  the  oth  of  December,  they  saAV  the  vehicle  which 
was  bearing  their  friends  into  space !  To  this  delight  succeeded 
a  great  deception,  when,  trusting  to  a  cursory  observation,  they 
launched  their  first  telegram  to  the  world,  erroneously  affirming 
that  the  projectile  had  become  a  satellite  of  the  moon,  gravitating 
in  an  immutable  orbit. 

From  that  moment  it  had  never  shown  itself  to  their  eyes — a 


,Q  ROUND     THE   MOON. 


disnpponrnncc  all  the  more  easily  explained,  as  it  was  then  passing 
lu-liind  the  moon's  invisible  disc;  but  when  it  was  time  for  it  to 
reappear  ou  the  visible  disc,  one  may  imagine  the  impatience  of 
the  fuinin"'  J.  T.  Maston  and  his  not  less  impatient  companion. 
Each  minute  of  tlio  night  they  thought  they  saw  the  projectile 
once  more,  and  they  did  not  see  it.  Hence  constant  discussions 
and  violent  disputes  between  them,  Belfast  aifirming  that  the 
j)r(>jectile  could  not  be  seen,  J.  T.  Maston  maintaining  that  "it 
had  put  his  eyes  out." 

"  It  18  the  projectile  !"  repeated  J.  T.  Maston. 

"  No,"  answered  Belfast ;  "  it  is  an  avalanche  detached  from  a 
lunar  mountain." 

"  Well,  Ave  shall  see  it  to-morrow." 

"  No,  we  shall  not  see  it  any  more.     It  is  carried  into  space." 

"Yes!" 

"No!" 

And  at  these  moments,  when  contradictions  rained  like  hail, 
the  well-known  irritability  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Gun  Club  con- 
Ftitutcd  a  permanent  danger  for  the  Hon.  Belfast.  The  existence 
of  these  two  together  would  soon  have  become  impossible;  but  an 
unforeseen  event  cut  short  their  everlasting  discussions. 

During  the  night,  from  the  14th  to  the  15th  of  December,  the 
two  irreconcilable  friends  were  busy  observing  the  lunar  disc, 
.7.  T.  Maston  abusing  the  learned  Belfast  as  usual,  who  was  by 
his  side  ;  the  Secretary  of  the  Gun  Club  maintaining  for  the 
thousandth  time  that  he  had  just  seen  the  projectile,  and  adding 
that  he  could  see  Michel  Ardan's  face  looking  through  one  of  the 
scuttles,  at  the  same  time  enforcing  his  argument  by  a  series  of 
gestures  which  his  formidable  hook  rendered  very  unpleasant. 

At  this  moment  Belfast's  servant  appeared  on  the  platform  (it 
was  ten  at  night)  and  gave  him  a  despatch.  It  was  the  com- 
mander of  the  "  Susquehanna's"  telegram. 

Belfast  tore  (he  envelope  and  read,  and  uttered  a  cry. 

"What!"said  J.  T.  Maston. 


vrw  ^  m mm  a.  m. 


THE  UNFORTUNATE  MAN  HAD  DISAPPEARED. 


[p.  311.1 


J.    T.    T,I ASTON  RECALLED.  3II 

"The  projectile!" 
"Well!" 

"  Has  fallen  to  the  earth  ! " 

Another  cry,  this  time  a  perfect  howl,  answered  him.  He 
turned  towards  J.  T.  Maston.  The  nnfortunate  man,  impru- 
dently leaning  over  the  metal  tube,  had  disappeared  in  the  im- 
mense telescope.  A  fall  of  280  feet !  Belfast,  dismayed,  rushed 
to  the  orifice  of  the  reflector. 

He  breathed.     J.  T.  Maston,  canght  by  his  metal  hook,  was 
holding   on  by   one    of   the  rings    which    bound  the  telescope 
'  i  together,  uttering  fearful  cries. 

Belfast  called.  Help  was  brought,  tackle  was  let  down,  and 
:  they  hoisted  up,  not  without  some  trouble,  the  imprudent  Secre- 
'  tary  of  the  Gun  Club. 

He  reappeared  at  the  upper  orifice  without  hurt, 
"  Ah  ! "  said  he,  "  if  I  had  broken  the  mirror  ?  " 
"  You  would  have  paid  for  it,"  replied  Belfast  severely. 
"And  that  cursed  projectile  has  fallen?"  asked  J.  T.  Maston. 
"Into  the  Pacific!" 
"  Let  us  go  ! " 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  after  the  two  savants  were  descending 
the  declivity  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  and  two  days  after,  at  the 
i  same  time  as  their  friends  of  the  Gun  Club,  they  arrived  at  San 
:.  Francisco,  having  killed  five  horses  on  the  road. 

Elphinstone,   the    brothers    Blomsberry,   and    Bilsby    rushed 
towards  them  on  their  arri  val. 
Li     "  What  shall  we  do  ?  "  they  exclaimed. 

"Fish  up  the  projectile,"  replied  J.  T.  Maston,  "and  the 
sooner  the  better." 


I 


3»» 


ROUND    THE   MOON. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

RECOVERED   FROM    THE    SEA. 

The  spot  where  the  projectile  sank  under  the  waves  was  exactly 
kiiowu  ;  but  machinery  to  grasp  it  and  bring  it  to  the  surface  of 
the  ocean  was  still  wanting.  It  must  first  be  invented,  then 
made.  American  engineers  could  not  be  troubled  with  such 
tritlcs.  Tlio  grappling-irous  once  fixed,  by  their  help  they  were 
Kuro  to  raise  it  in  spite  of  its  weight,  which  was  lessened  by  the 
density  of  the  liquid  in  which  it  was  plunged. 

But  fishing-up  the  projectile  was  not  the  only  thing  to  be 
tliought  of.  They  must  act  promptly  in  the  interest  of  the 
travellers.     No  one  doubted  that  they  were  still  living. 

"  Yes,"  repeated  J.  T.  Maston  incessantly,  whose  confidence 
gaiucd  over  every l)ody,  "  our  friends  are  clever  people,  and  they 
cannot  have  fallen  like  simpletons.  They  are  alive,  quite  alive  ; 
but  we  must  make  haste  if  we  wash  to  find  them  so.  Food  and 
water  do  not  trouble  me ;  they  have  enough  for  a  long  while. 
But  air,  air,  that  is  Avhat  they  will  soon  want;  so  quick,  quick!" 

And  they  did  go  quick.  They  fitted  up  the  "Susquehanna" 
for  her  new  destination.  Her  powerful  machinery  was  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  hauling-chains.  The  aluminium  projectile  only 
weighed  19,2501bs.,  a  weight  very  inferior  to  that  of  the  trans- 
allautic  cable  which  had  been  drawn  up  under  similar  conditions. 
The  only  difficulty  was  in  fishing-up  a  cylindro-conical  projectile, 
tijo  walls  of  which  were  so  smooth  as  to  offer  no  hold  for  the 
bonks.  On  that  account  engineer  Murchison  hastened  to  San 
Vi-ancisco,   and  had  some  enormous  grappling-irons  fixed  on  an 


RECOVERED    FROM    THE   SEA.  313 


automatic  system,  which  wouKl  never  let  the  projectile  go  if  it 
once  succeeded  in  seizing  it  in  its  powerful  claws.  Diving- 
dresses  were  also  prepared,  which  through  this  impervious  cover- 
ing allowed  the  divers  to  observe  the  bottom  of  tlie  sea.  He 
also  had  put  on  board  an  apparatus  of  compressed  air  very 
cleverly  designed.  There  were  perfect  chambers  pierced  with 
scuttles,  which,  with  water  let  into  certain  compartmentn, 
could  draw  it  dowu  into  great  depths.  These  apparatuses  were 
at  San  Francisco,  where  they  had  been  used  in  the  construction 
of  a  submarine  breakwater ;  and  very  fortunately  it  was  so,  for 
there  was  no  time  to  construct  any.  But  in  spite  of  the  perfec- 
tion of  the  machinery,  in  spite  of  the  ingenuity  of  the  savants 
entrusted  with  the  use  of  them,  the  success  of  the  operation  was 
far  from  being  certain.  How  great  were  the  chances  against 
them,  the  projectile  being  20,000  feet  under  the  water!  And  if 
even  it  was  brought  to  the  surface,  how  would  the  travellers 
have  borne  the  terrible  shock  which  20,000  feet  of  water  had 
perhaps  not  sufficiently  broken  ?  At  any  rate  they  must  act 
quickly.  J.  T.  Maston  hurried  the  workmen  day  and  night. 
He  was  ready  to  don  the  diving-dress  himself,  or  try  the  air 
apparatus,  in  order  to  reconnoitre  the  situation  of  his  courageous 
friends. 

But  in  spite  of  all  diligence  displayed  in  preparing  the  different 
engines,  in  spite  of  the  considerable  sum  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
the  Gun  Club  by  the  Government  of  the  Union,  five  long  days 
(five  centuries!)  elapsed  before  the  preparations  Avere  complete. 
During  this  time  public  opinion  was  excited  to  the  highest  pitch. 
Telegrams  were  exchanged  incessantly  throughout  the  entire 
Avorld  by  means  of  Avires  and  electric  cables.  The  saving  of 
Barbicane,  Nicholl,  and  Michel  Ardan  was  an  international 
affair.  Every  one  who  had  subscribed  to  the  Gun  Club  Avas 
directly  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  travellers. 

At  length  the  hauling-chains,  the  air-chambers,  and  the  auto- 
matic grappling-irons  were  put  on  board.    J.  T,  Maston,  Engineer 


,,  ,  ROUND    THE   MOON. 


Miirchipon,  and  tho  delogntcs  of  the  Gun  Club,  were  already  in 
thfir  ciiMns.  Tlicy  iiad  but  to  start,  which  they  did  on  the  21st 
of  December,  at  eight  o'clock  at  night,  the  corvette  meeting  with 
a  brautiful  sea,  a  north-easterly  wind,  aud  rather  sharp  cold. 
The  whole  population  of  San  Francisco  was  gatheied  on  the  quay, 
greatly  excited  but  silent,  reserving  their  hurrahs  for  the  return.  1 
Steam  was  fully  up,  and  the  screw  of  the  "Susquehanna"  l| 
carried  them  briskly  out  of  tho  bay. 

It  is  needless  to  relate  the  conversations  on  board  between  the 
olTiccrs,  sailors,  and  passengers.  All  these  men  had  but  one 
tliouirlit.  All  these  hearts  beat  under  the  same  emotion.  Whilst 
they  were  hastening  to  help  them,  what  were  Barbicane  and  his 
conopauions  doing?  What  bad  become  of  them?  Were  they 
ublo  to  attempt  any  bold  manoeuvre  to  regain  their  liberty  ? 
None  could  s-ay.  The  truth  is  that  every  attempt  must  have 
failed  I  Immersed  nearly  four  miles  under  the  ocean,  this  metal 
jtriton  defied  every  cflbrt  of  its  prisoners. 

On  the  23rd  inst., at  eight  in  the  morning,  after  a  rapid  passage, 
the  "  Susquehanna  "  was  due  at  the  fatal  spot.  They  must  wait 
till  twelve  to  take  the  reckoning  exactly.  The  buoy  to  which 
tho  sounding  lino  had  been  lashed  had  not  yet  been  recognized. 

At  twelve,  Captain  Blomsberry,  assisted  by  his  officers  who 
superintended  the  observations,  took  the  reckoning  in  the  presence 
of  tho  delegates  of  the  Gun  Club.  Then  there  was  a  moment  of  j 
anxiety.  Iler  position  decided,  the  "  Susquehanna  "  was  found 
to  be  some  minutes  to  westward  of  the  spot  where  the  projectile 
bad  disappeared  beneath  the  waves. 

The  ship's  course  was  then  changed  so  as  to  reach  this  exact 
point. 

At  forty-seven  minutes  past  twelve  they  reached  the  buoy,  it 
was  in  perfect  condition,  and  must  have  shifted  but  little. 
"  At  last :  "  exclaimed  J.  T.  Maston. 
"  Shall  we  begin  ?  "  asked  Captain  Blomsberry. 
"  Without  losing  a  second." 


THE  DESCEXT  BEGAN.      ' 


[p.  315.] 


RECOVERED    FROAf    THE    SEA.  315 


Eveiy  precaution  was  taken  to  keep  the  corvette  almost  com- 
pletely motionless.  Before  trying  to  seize  the  projectile,  Engiiiocr 
Murchison  wanted  to  find  its  exact  position  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean.  The  submarine  apparatus  destined  for  tliis  expedition  was 
supplied  with  air.  The  Avorklng  of  these  engines  was  not  witliout 
danger,  for  at  20,000  feet  below  the  surface  of  Jhe  water, 
and  under  such  great  pressure,  they  were  exposed  to  fracture,  tho 
consequences  of  which  would  be  dreadful. 

J.  T.  Maston,  the  Brothers  Blomsbcrry,  and  Engineer  Murchi- 
son, without  heeding  these  dangers,  took  their  places  in  the  air- 
chamber.  The  commander,  posted  on  his  bridge,  superintended 
the  operation,  ready  to  stop  or  haul  in  the  chains  on  the  slightest 
signal.  The  screw  had  been  shipped,  and  the  Avhole  power  of 
the  machinery  collected  on  the  capstan  would  have  quickly 
drawn  the  apparatus  on  board.  The  descent  began  at  twenty-five 
minutes  past  one  at  night,  and  tbe  chamber,  drawn  under  by  the 
I'eservoirs  full  of  water,  disappeared  from  the  surface  of  the  ocean. 

The  emotion  of  the  officers  and  sailors  on  board  was  now 
divided  between  the  prisoners  in  the  projectile  and  the  prisoners 
in  the  submarine  apparatus.  As  to  the  latter,  they  forgot  them- 
selves, and,  glued  to  the  windows  of  the  scuttles,  attentively 
watched  the  liquid  mass  through  which  they  were  passing. 

The  descent  was  rapid.  At  seventeen  minutes  past  two,  J.  T. 
Maston  and  his  companions  had  reached  the  bottom  of  the 
Pacific  ;  but  they  saw  nothing  but  an  arid  desert,  no  longer 
animated  by  either  fauna  or  flora.  By  the  light  of  their  lamps, 
furnished  with  powerful  reflectors,  they  could  see  the  dark  beds 
of  the  ocean  for  a  considerable  extent  of  view,  but  the  projectile 
was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

The  impatience  of  these  bold  divers  cannot  be  described,  and 
having  an  electrical  communication  with  the  corvette,  they  made 
a  signal  already  agreed  upon,  and  for  the  space  of  a  mile  tho 
"  Susquehanna"  moved  their  chamber  along  some  }aids  abovo 
the  bottom. 


J'6 


ROUND    THE   MOON. 


Thus  they  explored  the  whole  submarine  plain,  deceived  at 
every  turn  by  optical  ilhisions  which  almost  broke  their  hearts. 
Hero  a  rock,  there  a  projection  from  the  ground,  seemed  to  be  the 
much-sought-for  projectile;  but  their  mistake  was  soon  discovered, 
and  then  they  were  in  despair. 

"  But  where  are  they  ?  where  are  they  ?  "  cried  J.  T.  Maston. 
And  the  poor  man  called  loudly  upon  Nicholl,  Barbicane,  and 
Michel  Ardan,  as  if  his  unfortunate  friends  could  either  hear  or 
answer  him  through  such  an  impenetrable  medium  !  The  search 
continued  under  these  conditions  until  the  vitiated  air  compelled 
the  divers  to  ascend. 

The  hauling  in  began  about  six  iu  the  evening,  and  was  not 
ended  before  midnight. 

'•  To-morrow,"  said  J.  T.  Maston,  as  he  set  foot  on  the  bridge 
of  the  corvette. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Captain  Blomsberry. 
"  And  on  another  spot  ?  " 
"  Yes." 

J.  T.  Maston  did  not  doubt  of  their  final  success,  but  his  com- 
panions, no  longer  upheld  by  the  excitement  of  the  first  hours, 
understood  all  the  difficulty  of  the  enterprise.  What  seemed  easy 
at  San  Francisco,  seemed  here  in  the  wide  ocean  almost  impossible. 
The  chances  of  success  diminished  in  rapid  proportion  ;  and  it 
was  from  chance  alone  that  the  meeting  with  the  projectile  might 
be  expected. 

Tiie  next  day,  the  24th,  in  spite  of  the  fatigue  of  the  previous 
day,  the  operation  was  renewed.  The  corvette  advanced  some 
minutes  to  westward,  and  the  apparatus,  provided  wath  air,  bore 
the  same  explorers  to  the  depths  of  the  ocean. 

The  whole  day  passed  in  fruitless  research  ;  the  bed  of  the 
sea  was  a  desert.  The  25th  brought  no  other  result,  nor  the 
26th. 

It  was  disheartening.  They  thought  of  those  unfortunates 
bhut  up  iu  the  projectile  for  twenty-six  days.      Perhaps  at  that 


RECOVERED    FROM    THE    SEA.  317 


moment  thej  -were  experiencing  the  fust  approaeli  of  snflTooation  ; 
that  is,  if  they  had  escaped  the  dangers  of  their  fall.  The  air 
was  spent,  and  doubtless  with  the  air  all  their  morale. 

"The  air,  possibly,"  answered  J.  T.  Muston  resolutely,  "but 
their  morale  never  !  " 

On  the  28th,  after  two  more  days  of  search,  all  hope  was  gone. 
This  projectile  was  but  an  atom  in  the  immensity  of  the  ocean. 
They  must  give  up  all  idea  of  finding  it. 

But  J.  T.  Maston  would  not  hear  of  going  away.  He  would 
not  abandon  the  place  without  at  least  discovering  the  tomb  of  his 
friends.  But  Commander  Blomsberry  could  no  longer  persist,  and 
in  spite  of  the  exclamations  of  the  worthy  Secretary,  was  obliged 
to  give  the  order  to  sail. 

On  the  29th  of  December,  at  nine  a.m.,  the  "  Su.'iqnehanna," 
heading  N.E.,  resumed  her  course  to  the  bay  of  San  Francisco. 

Tt  was  ten  in  the  morning  ;  the  corvette  was  under  half  steam, 
as  if  regretting  to  leave  the  spot  where  the  catastrophe  had  taken 
place,  when  a  sailor,  perched  on  the  maintop  gallant  crosstreee, 
Avatching  the  sea,  cried  suddenly, — 

"  A  buoy  on  the  lee  bow  !  " 

The  officers  looked  in  the  direction  indicated,  and  by  the  help 
of  their  glasses,  saw  that  the  object  signalled  had  the  appearance 
of  one  of  those  buoys  which  are  used  to  mark  the  passages  of 
bays  or  rivers.  But,  singularly  to  say,  a  flag  floating  on  the 
wind  surmounted  its  cone,  which  emerged  five  or  six  feet  out  of 
water.  This  buoy  shone  under  the  rays  of  the  sun  as  if  it  ha  1 
been  made  of  plates  of  silver.  Commander  Blomsbcrr}%  J.  T. 
Maston,  and  the  delegate?  of  the  Gun  Club  were  mounted  on  the 
bridge,  examining  this  object  straying  at  random  on  the  waves. 

All  looked  with  feverish  anxiety,  but  in  silence.  None  dared 
give  expression  to  the  thoughts  which  came  to  the  minds 
of  all. 

The  corvette  approached  to  within  two  cables'  lengths  of  the 
object. 


3»8 


ROUND    THE  MOON. 


A  eh  udder  niu  through  the  whole  crew.     That  flag  was  the 

Aiin'ricnn  flag  I 

At  this  moment  a  perfect  howling  was  heard  ;  it  was  the  hrave 
J.  T.  Mutton,  who  had  just  fallen  all  in  a  heap.  :^orgettiug  on  the 
oue  hand  that  his  right  arm  had  been  replaced  by  an  iron  hook, 
and  on  the  other  that  a  simple  gutta-percha  cap  covered  his  brain- 
box,  ho  had  given  himself  a  formidable  blow. 

Tlu'y  hurried  towards  him,  picked  him  up,  restored  him  to  life. 
And  what  were  his  firt^t  words  ? 

'•  Ah  !  trebly  brutes  !  quadruply  idiots  !  quintuply  boobies  that 


we  are  ! 


"  What  is  it  ?  "  exclaimed  every  one  around  him. 

"What  is  it?" 

"  Come,  speak  !  " 

"  It  is,  simpletons,"  howled  the  terrible  Secretary,  "  it  is  that 
the  projectile  only  weighs  19,2o01bs. !" 

"Well?" 

"  And   that  it  displaces   tAventy-eight   tons,  or  in  other  words 
.')6,000lbs.,  and  that  consequently  it  floats!" 

Ah  !  what  stress  the  worthy  man  laid  on  the  verb 
"  float !  "  And  it  was  true  !  All,  yes  !  all  these  savants  had 
forgotten  this  fundamental  law,  namely,  that  on  account  of  its 
!«ix'cific  lightness,  the  projectile,  after  having  been  drawn  by 
its  fall  to  the  greatest  depths  of  the  ocean,  must  naturally  return 
to  the  surface.  And  now  it  was  floating  quietly  at  the  mercy  of 
the  waves. 

The  boats  were  put  to  sea,  J.  T.  Maston  and  his  friends  had 
rushed  into  them !  Excitement  was  at  its  height  !  Every  heart 
Ijeat  loudly  whilst  they  advanced  to  the  projectile,  What  did  it 
contain  ?  Living  or  dead  ?  Living,  yes  !  living,  at  least  unless 
death  had  struck  Barbicane  and  his  two  friends  since  they  had 
hoisted  the  flag.  Profound  silence  reigned  on  the  boats,  AH 
were  breathless.  Eves  no  longer  saw.  One  of  the  scuttles  of 
Uio  projectile  was  open.     Some  pieces  of  glass  remained  io  the 


RECOVERED    FROM    THE   SEA.  319 

frame,  showing  that  it  had  been  broken.  This  scuttle  wax  actually 
five  feet  above  the  water. 

A  boat  came  alongside,  that  of  J.  T.  Maston,  and  J.  T.  H^Iaston 
lushed  to  the  broken  window. 

At  that  moment  they  heard  a  clear  and  merry  voice,  the  voice 
of  Michel  Ardan,  exclaiming  in  an  accent  of  triumpli, — 

"  White  all,  Burbicaue,  white  all  !  " 

Barbicane,  Michel  Ardan,  and  NichoU  were  playing  at 
dominoes  I 


FOUND    THE   MOON. 


CHAPTER  XXTII. 

THE    END 

Wf.  may  rcmonilier  the  intense  sympathy  which  had  accompanied 
the  travel lors  on  their  departure.     If  at  the  beginning  of  the  en- 
terprise they  had  excited  such  emotion  both  in  the  old  and  new 
world,  with   what  enthusiasm  woukl  they  be   received  on  their 
rpttirn  !     The  millions  of  spectators  which  had  beset  the  peninsula 
of  Florida,  would   they   not  rush  to  meet  these  sublime  adven- 
turers? Those  legions  of  strangers,  hunying  from  all  parts  of  the 
globe  towards  the  American  shores,  would  they  leave  the  Union 
without  having  seen  Barbicane,  Nicholl,  and  Michel  Ardan  ?    No  ! 
nnd  the  ardent  passion  of   the    public  was    bound    to   respond 
worthily  to  the  greatness  of  the  enterprise.     Human  creatures 
who  had  left  the  terrestrial  sphere,  and  returned  after  this  strange 
voyage  into  celestial  space,  could  not  fail  to  be  received   as  the 
prophet  Elias  would  be  if  he  came  back  to  earth.      To   see  them 
first,  and  then  to  hear  them,  such  was  the  universal  longing. 

Rarl)icftne,  Michel  Ardan,  Nicholl,  and  the  delegates  of  the  Gun 
Club,  returning  without  delay  to  Baltimore,  were  received  with 
indescribable  enthusiasm.  The  notes  of  President  Barbicane's 
voynpe  were  ready  to  be  given  to  the  public.  The  New  York 
Hfrald  bought  the  manuscript  at  a  price  not  yet  known,  but  which 
must  have  been  very  high.  Indeed,  during  the  publication  of  "  A 
Journey  to  theM()on,"the  saleof  this  paper  amounted  tofivemillions 
of  copies.  Three  days  after  the  return  of  the  travellers  to  the  earth, 
the  sliphtrst  detail  of  their  ex ;)edition  was  known.  There  remained 
nothing  more  but  to  pee  the  heroes  of  this  superhuman  enterprise. 


THE    END.  321 


The  expedition  of  Barbicane  and  his  friends  round  the  moon 
had  enabled  them  to  correct  the  many  admitted  theories  regarding 
the  terrestrial  satellite.  These  savants  had  observed  de  visit,  and 
under  particular  circumstances.  They  knew  what  systems  should 
be  rejected,  what  retained  with  regard  to  the  formation  of  that 
orb,  its  origin,  its  habitability.  Its  past,  present,  and  future  had 
even  given  up  their  last  secrets.  Who  could  advance  objections 
against  conscientious  observers,  who  at  less  than  twenty-four  miles 
distance  had  marked  that  curious  mountain  of  Tycho,  the  strangest 
system  of  lunar  orography  ?  How  answer  those  savants  whoso 
sight  had  penetrated  the  abyss  of  Pluto's  circle  ?  How  contradict 
those  bold  ones  whom  the  chances  of  their  enterprise  had  borne 
over  that  invisible  face  of  the  disc,  which  no  human  eye  until 
then  had  ever  seen  ?  It  was  now  their  turn  to  impose  some  limit 
on  that  Selenographic  science,  which  had  reconstructed  the  lunar 
world  as  Cuvier  did  the  skeleton  of  a  fossil,  and  say,  "  The  moon 
was  this,  a  habitable  Avorld,  inhabited  before  the  earth  !  The  moon 
is  that,  a  world  uninhabitable,  and  now  uninhabited." 

To  celebrate  the  return  of  its  most  illustrious  member  and  his 
two  companions,  the  Gun  Club  decided  upon  giving  a  banquet, 
but  a  banquet  worthy  of  the  conquerors,  worthy  of  the  American 
people,  and  under  such  conditions  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Union  could  directly  take  part  in  it. 

All  the  head  lines  of  railroads  in  the   State  were  joined  by 
flying  rails  ;    and  on  all  the  platforms,  lined  with  the  same  flags, 
and  decorated  with  the  same  ornaments,  were  tables  laid  and  all 
served  alike.      At  certain  hours,  successively  calculated,  marked 
by  electric   clocks  which  beat  the  seconds  at  the  same  time,  the 
population  were  invited  to  take  their  place  at  the  banquet  tables. 
For  four  days,  from  the  5th  to  the  9th  of  January,  the  trains  were 
stopped  as  they  are  on  Sundays  on  the  railways  of  the  United 
States,  and  every  road  was   open.     One  engine   only    at   full 
speed,  drawing  a  triumphal  carriage,  had  the  right  of  travelling 
for  those  four  days  on  the  railroads  of  the  United  States. 


-22  ROUND    THE  MOON. 


The  engine  was  manned  by  a  driver  and  a  stoker,  and  bore,  by 
itpccial  favour,  the  Hon.  J.  T.  Maston,  Secretary  of  the  Gun  Club. 
Tbo  carriage  was  reserved  for  President  Barbicane,  Colonel 
Nicholl,  and  Michel  Ardan.  At  the  whistle  of  the  driver,  amid 
the  hurrahs,  and  all  the  admiring  vociferations  of  the  American 
language,  the  train  left  the  platform  of  Baltimore.  It  travelled  at 
a  ppcod  of  160  miles  in  the  hour.  But  what  was  this  speed 
compared  with  that  which  had  carried  the  three  heroes  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbiad  ? 

Thus  they  sped  from  one  to^vn  to  the  other,  finding  whole 
populations  at  table  on  their  road,  saluting  them  with  the  same 
acclamations,  lavishing  the  same  bravos  !  They  travelled  in  this 
way  through  the  east  of  the  Union,  Pennsylvania,  Connecticut, 
Massachusetts,  Vermont,  Maine,  and  New  Hampshire  ;  the  north 
and  the  west  by  New  York,  Ohio,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin  ;  re- 
turning to  the  south  by  Illinois,  Missouri,  Arkansas,  Texas,  and 
Louisiana  ;  they  went  to  the  south-east  by  Alabama  and  Florida, 
going  up  by  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas,  visiting  the  centre  by 
Tennessee,  Kentucky,  Virginia,  and  Indiana,  and,  after  quitting 
the  Washington  station,  re-entered  Baltimore,  where  for  four 
days  one  would  have  thought  that  the  United  States  of  America 
were  seated  at  one  immense  banquet,  saluting  them  simultaneously 
with  the  same  hurrahs  !  The  apotheosis  was  worthy  of  these 
three  heroes  whom  fable  would  have  placed  in  the  rank  of  demi- 
gods. 

And  now  will  this  attempt,  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of 
travels,  lead  to  any  practical  result  ?  Will  direct  communication 
with  the  moon  ever  be  established  ?  Will  they  ever  lay  the 
foundation  of  a  travelling  service  through  the  solar  world  ?  Will 
they  go  from  one  planet  to  another,  from  Jupiter  to  Mercury,  and 
after  awhile  from  one  star  to  another,  from  the  Polar  to  Sirius  ? 
Will  this  means  of  locomotion  allow  us  to  visit  those  suns  which 
pwftrm  in  the  firmament? 

To  such  questions  no  answer  can  be  given.     But  knowing  the 


THE  APOTHEOSIS  WAS  WORTHY  OF  THE  THREE  HEROES. 

Lp.  322.] 


9 

I 


THE   END.  323 


bold  ingenuity  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race,  no  one  would  bo 
astonished  if  the  Americans  seek  to  make  some  use  of  President 
Barbicane's  attempt. 

Thus,  some  time  after  the  return  of  the  travellers,  the  public 
received  with  marked  favour  the  announcement  of  a  company, 
limited,  with  a  capital  of  a  hundred  million  of  dollars,  divided 
into  a  hundred  thousand  shares  of  a  thousand  dollars  each,  under 
the  name  of  the  "  National  Company  of  Interstellary  Communi- 
cation." President,  Barbicanc  ;  Vice-president,  Captain  Nicholl  ; 
Secretary,  J.  T.  Maston  ;  Director  of  INIovements,  Michel  Ardan. 

And  as  it  is  part  of  the  American  temperament  to  foresee  every- 
thing in  business,  even  failure,  the  Ilonoiu-able  Harry  TroUoppe, 
judge  commissioner,  and  Francis  Drayton,  magistiate,  .were 
nominated  beforehand  I 


TnK   EJTD, 


THRILLING   BOOK    OF  ADVENTURE  FOR 

YOUTHS. 


a 


MY  KALULU," 


PKINCE.    KINGI^.    AND    SLAVE. 

A  STORY  FROM  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

BY 

HENRY  M.  STANLEY 

Author  of  "How  I  Found  Livingstone." 
"WITH  IIiIL,XJSTE,^XIOJsrS  BY  J.  B.  Z^SA^E  CKldiR. 


EXTRACT  FROM  THE  PREFACE. 

"  This  book  has  been  written  for  boys — not  those  little  darlings  who  are 
yet  bothering  over  the  alphabet,  and  have  to  be  taken  to  bed  at  sundown, 
and  who,  when  they  awake,  put  civilized  and  respectable  families  into  con- 
fusion with  their  cries  ;  nor  those  little  dunces  who  look  at  all  books  with 
awe,  and  who  begin  to  scratch  their  heads  as  soon  as  one  is  mentioned  ;  nor 
yet  those  boys  who  cannot  read,  though  they  are  tall  and  strong ;  but  lor 
those  clever,  bright-eyed,  intelligent  boys,  of  all  classes,  who  have  begun  to 
be  interested  in  romantic  literature,  with  whom  educated  fathers  may  talk 

without  fear  of  misapprehension These  boys  are  the  guests 

for  whom  I  have  provided  a  true  Afric  feast 'MyKalulu* 

is  a  romance  based  upon  knowledge  acquired  during  my  journey  in  search 
of  Dr.  Livingstone. 

"  For  those  boys,  and  young,  middle-aged,  and  old  men  who  found  my 
first  book  rather  bulky,  I  beg  to  offer  something  fresher,  lighter — a  romance. 
.  .  .  .  As  a  traveller,  I  dared  not  venture  upon  improbabilities.  Every- 
thing written  herein  is  possible  ;  nay,  much  of  the  book  contains  facts 
which  I  have  witnessed  myself,  or  which  have  come  to  my  knowledge. 

"  I  had  in  view,  when  I  wrote  this  book,  the  idea  that  I  might  be  able  to 
describe  more  vividly  in  this  than  in  any  other  way  the  evils  of  the  slave 
trade  in  Africa — how  it  begins,  how  it  is  conducted,  and  how  it  sometimes 
ends." 

TAis  vori  will  be  sent  post-paid  on  receipt  of  the  price  by 

SORIBNEE,  AEMSTEONG  &  CO., 

Go4:  Broaaway,  N.  Y 


:fIB»iE':^^IXl«M21 


It  js  the  desigrn  to  present  in  this  Library  a  *ries  of  works  by  the  best  authors  of  the 
day.  the  leading  characteristics  of  which  shall  be  elevation  and  purity  of  tone,  and  entire 
freedom  from  everything  in  the  remotest  degree  demoralizing.  A  broad  page,  large  and 
clear  type,  will  make  the  successive  volumes  thoroughly  readable,  and  occasionally  they 
will  be  carefully  illustrated. 

The  Burgomaster's  Family; 

OR,   'Wi^AIL.    .A.lSri>    ^VOE    IN"   J^    LI'JTTLK    ^WORLD. 

By  CHRISTINE  MULLER. 
One  vol.  8vo,  cloth.  §1.50.    Paper  $1.00. 

Tragedy,  pathos,  and  humor  are  combined  to  a  singular  degree  in  this  remarkable  story. 
The  principal  Dutch  literary  periodicals  praise  the  flowintc  naiTative,  the  simplicity,  clear- 
ness, and  grace  of  the  style,  the  reality  and  rationality  of  her  heroes  and  heroines,  and  the 
faithful  delineation  of  Dutch  character  and  Dutch  family  life. 

The  Story  of  Wandering  Willie. 

One  vol.  8vo,  .  Paper,  50  cts. 

Wandering  WilUe  is  one  of  the  most  pathetic  stories  in  the  language.  It  is  mainly  anto- 
biographic;  almost  the  entire  touching  history  is  told  by  tlie  wanderer  himself.  The  lesson 
of  Christian  resignation  luider  the  hardest  fate  reserved  for  man — of  cheery,  hopeful  bravery 
— is  one  well  worthy  of  learning  by  so  gentle  means  as  sympathy  with  a  fictitious  hero. 
Wherever  poor  old  Willie  shall  wander  with  his  sad,  patient  face,  he  will  carry  a  benediction. 

M  ay. 

A  NEW  NOVEL,  FROM  ADVANCE  SHEETS. 

By  ilBS.   OLIPHA^T,  author  of  "At  His  Gates,"  "Miss  ilarjoribanks,   •' Chronicles  of 

Carhngford,"  etc. 
One  vol.  8vo,  cloth,  $1.50.     Paper,  $1.00. 
The  characters  are  strongly  contrasted,  while  the  quaint  Scotch  humor  one  or  two  ol 
them  display  gives  to  the  story  a  freshness  and  heartiness  quite  unusual. 

Galama;  or,  The  Beggars. 

By  J.   B.   DE   LIEFDE. 
One  vol.  Svo,  cloth,  §1.25.     Paper,  75  cents. 
This  is  a  story  of  love  and  adventure,  in  the  times  of  the  Dutch  Republic.     The  char- 
acters are  dr.awn  with  wonderful  clearness ;  they  attract  the  warmest  sympathy  from  the 
first,  and  every  reader  must  follow  their  fortunes"  to  the  close  with  the  deepest  interest. 


At   His  Gates. 


By  Mrs.  OLIPHANT,  author  of  "May,"  "Chronicles  of  Carlingford,"  etc. 
One  voL  Svo,  cloth,  $1.50.     Paper,  $1.00. 
"  It  is  a  better  novel,  to  our  mind,  than  any  woman,  '  George  Eliot '  excepted,  has  given 
to  the  world  since  Charlotte  Bronte  laid  down  her  pen."—ZotiisEille  CouiHer-Jouituil. 

These  volumes  sent,  post-paid,  by  the  pubiuhers  on  receipt  of  price. 

SCRIBNER,  ARMSTRONG  &  CO.,  654  Broadway,  N.  Y. 


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